Chapter 14: A Warlock Met A Lycan

Mya spent the rest of the day recovering from the poison in the garden, the sprites and pixies were hopping around her, playing with her hair. Illyan had told them to take care of her, so here she was left in the untrustworthy hands of warring creatures who were using her as a battlefield.

She leaned against the back of the bench, feeling bored and tired, the tiny chatter of the creatures were not able to engage her. She closed her eyes, trying to process what had happened in the past days.

'Stuff's just been weird; an ex-mate, a witch, a portal, a healer dude, a warlock, a hunter, demons, a mother, a goddess, a stranger, and an attempted murder.'

Her breathing slowed down as she slowly began to relax, all the stress drained out of her body leaving her dozing off on the bench.

"Maaike?"

A large hand was placed on her shoulder, gently shaking her awake. Opening her eyes, they fell across the familiar face, the ash grey hair, "Lothar?"

He stared down at her, "Why are you here?"

"You threw me here." She huffed out still feeling annoyed.

"No! I sent you to Germany…" she glared at his response.

"You wanted to send me to a completely unfamiliar place? Why? I did nothing wrong. I just asked your name!"

He rubbed the back of his neck, "Have you seen a redhead warlock around here?"

"Redhead? Illyan isn't a redhead."

"Yeah him. Where is he?" her brows furrowed, then she turned back, closing her eyes to go back to sleep.

He sighed and she waited, she heard his fading footsteps and the sound of the gate. Opening her eyes, she glanced at the now cowering creatures, "Is he so scary?"

"He's a scary man…" they whispered fluttering around her, "Dangerous, very dangerous, smells like blood and death." She raised her brow and shook her head, wondering about why he was looking for Illyan.

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Illyan flipped through the books in his archive, in search of answers, he had never seen powers like Maaike's before.

At first, he thought helping her smooth out the pathways for her power flow and training her control would work, but after seeing her attack Jennie without using he lightning, he was worried.

He had assumed the power of the gods in her was part of some other game, but her power was too strong and too much of a variable, the lightning magic was less hers than what she had used during the fight.

Looking through the names of the gods with lightning divinity, Zeus would've been his first choice, but her power was too pure and wild, he skipped over Thor, muttering "Too weak."

He skipped over x and y, before coming upon Indra, but it didn't make any sense to him. He ran his hand through his head trying to figure out how a Buddhist pantheon leader would end up with someone of Egyptian origin.

His thoughts were soon interrupted by a loud knock at the door, turning in a flurry of magic, he put the books away and opened it.

Lothar walked into the archive, glancing around at the now neatly arranged books and scrolls.

"Why are you here?"

"You know why." He held up a small grey pearl, the same one Illyan threw when he met Mya.

Illyan's eye twitched, "So? I don't see why you have to come find me."

"You were helping them spy on me."

"I put extra magic in that, to extend the time you can stay there."

"I shouldn't have let you help me." He growled levelling Illyan a dangerous look.

Illyan tipped his chin up in defiance, ignoring the growing pressure pouring off Lothar. He waved his hand removing a tiny white bead from inside the pearl.

"Can you leave now? I'm busy."

Lothar shrugged and turned to leave, then he stopped, "The girl in the garden…"

"What about her?" Illyan cut him off, masking a frown, his muscles tensed.

It was no surprise there, Illyan was protective and territorial, almost as bad as werewolves were.

"Relax, I just wanted to know how she got through the portal." He brushed Illyan's reaction, casually running his fingers along the book spines.

"It's strange that a weak shifter was capable of crossing realms without help."

"She is a Heorte if that's what you want to know, don't bother with trying to find out more. I don't know." He finished before Lothar could get a word in.

"The Hoertes…Why would you take in a Heorte?"

"I'm a teacher…I took in hunters, why not a Heorte?"

"They are traitors?"

"Traitors to who? Isis…You are as much a fool for love as you are blind to the realities. It was never a rule than her priestesses remained celibate."

Lothar's eyes reddened, he turned away walking to the door, "Never bring her up again. I'll find you soon, the potion had better be made by then."

"I still don't see why you don't make it yourself, but fine." Refusing to respond to Illyan,

he left slamming the door behind him.

Illyan bit down on his bottom lip, letting out a low hiss, spinning away from the door he returned to his books.

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Maaike tightened her core, carefully drawing her bowstring, she let her mind calm before letting the arrow fly. Just before it could hit the target, it suddenly lost power and fell, clattering onto the others on the floor.

She let out a breath, stretching her hurting arms. After Lothar had left, she couldn't sleep from curiosity, so she decided to practice archery.

Closing her eyes, she fixed her posture, and cleared her thoughts. Drawing the string again she tried to fix her aim, when she was startled by loud steps, letting go instantly.

In her shock she had let some of her energy into the arrow, the power propelled the arrow forward, pushing it deep into the target and scorching it. Mya jumped at the sound of the crackling and the smell of burnt wood.

There was a hum coming from behind her, she glanced back and saw Lothar stuck in place watching her. Her eyes met his dark ones, a thrum ran through her, startling her. She hurriedly turned away and left the room.

She was confused, the familiarity of that feeling as well as the unfamiliarity. It was a strange sort of emotion, one that she would've dismissed as gratefulness if not because she had lost every ounce of that toward him.

It was an uncomfortable feeling, one she didn't like at all, taking a deep breath she pushed the feelings down. Shaking her head, she thought about how she made her first bullseye, and how to use her powers better.