Chapter 2

It was early morning when Nara and Zara were busy making breakfast. It was Nara's day off from work and she would spoil her siblings with a good breakfast. She had made some eggs, brewed coffees, baked some bread and put some fruits at the table. Xander had gone to their small kraal to get some milk from their two cows and the two sisters were singing in the kitchen. Xander came back from milking the cow and joined in the singing too. They were all in a happy mood that morning. Mira woke up and heard her siblings singing and she just smiled. She was about to run out of the room when she saw everything in the room floating in the air. She saw glowing light coming out of her hands and she just stood there afraid. "Nara, Zara! Xander!" She called out to her siblings in a panick. Xander came to the room running excited but he quickly stopped at the door. He couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing. His sister's magic was powerful enough to work even with her collar on. He walked slowly towards Mira trying to calm her down. "Mira I need you to stay calm alright. Everything is going to be alright darling." He trie calming his sister. He walked towards her slowly and Mira just stood there afraid. Nara and Zara followed Xander and Nara dropped the bowl she was holding in her hands on the floor in shock. Zara just stood next to Nara with her mouth open. "I can't control it Xander! It is too powerful!" Mira told her brother. Xander walked slowly to her. "I am right here Mira. I need you to trust me and give me your hand. It will all be alright soon." He said to his sister unsure of what he was doing. Nara and Zara didn't want to scare Mira so they kept standing by the door. Xander took Mira's hand and pulled her closer to him slowly. He held her in his arms and the things that were floating began falling to the ground. Zara and Nara sighed with relief but as Mira held on to Xander her power erupted from her hands and pushed all her siblings to the walls including Xander.

The blast was so powerful that even the furniture in the house was pushed to the walls. Mira fell to the ground and her eyes were glowing red. Nara held on to the table as she tried to get up. Xander helped Zara up and the all stood looking at each other afraid. They knew this kind of magic was dictated at the palace and in many places in the city gates. Mira stood up slowly with tears in her eyes. Her eyes were still glowing red and another gold strand of hair had showed up. Nara ran to hug her sister and she could see all her siblings were afraid. Zara began packing things into bags. "We need to leave this house now! The palace guards will be here in a few minutes!" She warned her siblings and Xander began packing too.  Mira's tears began to stream down the tears like a river. Nara could see her siblings panicking. She just stood there trying to think. "Nara don't just stand there we need to get going!" Xander screamed at his sister but Nara didn't move. She had tears in her eyes and she knew they wouldn't get away. "We won't get away Xander. Stop packing both of you!" She ordered her siblings. Zara knew her sister she quickly walked over to Nara. "You are not sacrificing yourself! I won't allow it Nara!" She said to her sister in tears. Mira looked at Nara in tears. "They will catch up with us and they will kill us all Zara. I have to do this. I promised father and mother I would always protect you!" Nara told Zara. Xander dropped the bag in his hands. "I am the man in this house. I will do it. You have to protect Mira at all costs. She might be the only way for witches to be free." Xander told his sisters but Nara refused. Mira just stood there shaking. Her powers were uncontrollable now. She could feel her powers about erupt but Nara held her hands. "Do you remember what I told you Mira?" Nara asked her sister and Mira nodded her head. She touched her sister's face and kissed her on the forehead. "You are destined for something great. The world needs someone like you." Nara told Mira. She held her siblings' hands and smiled. "I need you to leave the house. Go to the well and draw me water. Go all of you!" she gave her siblings an order. Zara just stood there in tears watching her sister give these orders. She knew she didn't want the palaces guards to find them in the house so she was sending them away. Nara noticed Zara standing still. "Zara you are the oldest! I need you to get them out of here!" She whispered in her sisters ear and Zara hesitantly moved away from her older sister. Her eyes were filled with tears but she knew her sister was right. They had to leave or they would all die. There wasn't a place for them to go and hide so one of them had to take the fall. Zara took Mira's hand and walked out of the house. Xander followed them and Nara just took a deep breath as she watched her siblings run to the well.  She ran to her parents' room and took out the box they kept with old witch antiques. She sat down at the table waiting for the palace guards to arrive.

Manol felt the power of the witch from the palace. He stood up and walked to the window facing the city. He put both his hands on the window seal and closed his eyes. The king who sat on his throne looked at Manol curious. The queen walked to him. "Manol, is everything alright?" She asked him curiously. "There is a witch who has just used her powers." Varsui said as he entered the room.  Tarnia looked at the king worried. She knew her husband would want to please his guests. King Joram stood up and walked to Manol. He had a smirk look on his face. "It was unusual magic. Very powerful magic, I have not sensed that kind of powerful magic in years and it came straight from the market square houses." Manol told the king and his guards. Tarnia walked closer to the king. "My maidservant lives in one of those houses. She is smart enough not to use magic and besides she is not that powerful." The queen commented. The king wanting to impress his guests walked up and down. "Manol I need you to leave the palace and trace this witch. I need her captured, brought in and I will make an example of her tomorrow." The king ordered. Manol bowed his face down and left the room. Tarnia  looked through the window nervously and Reeva could tell she was a little nervous. "You must really care for that servant girl of yours, your highness." Reeva said to Tarnia and she just nodded her head. "Then in that case lets hope she is not foolish enough to use magic."  He commented as he walked back to his seat.

Nara sat next to the table nervously, she held the little jar with both her hands as she impatiently waited for her fate. She was afraid of the outcome but she knew she had to save her sister. She kept on looking outside the window waiting for the palace guards to arrive. Unable to continue sitting she stood up, paced up and down the room with her hands in her waist. As she was about to sit down there was a loud knock at the door and she quickly turned around to face the door. She kept on staring at the door in fear. Her heart was pounding so loud that she couldn't even hear the noises outside. She didn't move, she couldn't move so she kept on standing there.  The guards knocked on the door again and she walked slowly to the door. She slowly opened the door and saw Manol standing right in front of her with the guards. She couldn't even speak as she was so afraid. She just stood there and Manol pushed her to the side as he walked in the house. He closed his eyes and lift his crystal stick and it glowed red dictating the magic in the room. He walked around the house and closer to Nara. "She is guilty of using magic. Sieze her and take her to the king!" He ordered  the guards who took hold of Nara and arrested her. She didn't resist and the guards walked her out of the house to the streets to the palace. The villagers stood there watching in awe as Nara was being dragged to the palace. She had her head bowed down as she walked to the palace. The humans threw things at her as she was being dragged to the palace. The witches looked on with such sadness as one of them got dragged to the palace. Nara didn't want her siblings to see her like this and she was glad they didn't get to see her. When she got to the palace she was dragged straight to throne room where the king and his guests were sitting. She was thrown to the floor before the king and his guests. Tarnia saw her and she was about to stand up and run to her when Reeva held her hand to stop her. She looked at him and he didn't say anything. Tarnia couldn't breathe when she saw Nara on the floor. Her eyes filled with tears and her husband spoke from his throne. "So you dare use magic in my land? You think you can just break my law?" King Joram questioned Nara but she didn't reply him. She kept quiet with her head bowed down. This irritated Joram that he walked from his throne to her. He used his finger to lift her head up and she looked at him with so much contempt. She didn't take her eyes off him and he was annoyed by her bravery. He stood up and began walking round Nara. "As the king I see your punishment for the use of the magic punishable by death."  He gave his verdict and walked back to his seat. Tarnia stood up from her seat and looked at the king horrified. "Doesn't she at least to sit in front of the counsel and be tried like a normal person?" She demanded an answer from the king and Joram was infuriated by her behavior. "You dare question my ruling? You are not the King but I am." He said to her harshly and Tarnia wanted to reply him but Reeva held her hand once again and she stood there quietly. She watched them drag Nara out of the room. Nara hadn't showed any expression to this and she was dragged quietly to her dungeon cell. Tarnia looked at the king with hatred and she sat down angrily. Reeva just kept on holding her hand and the king saw this but he didn't say anything.

Nara was placed in her cell and she just slowly sat on the cold floor holding on to the walls. She broke down in tears. She could not stop imagining what her siblings would go through when it was announced that she would be hanged the next day at noon. She looked at the small window at the top of the wall. As she looked out of the window she heard footsteps. And she looked at the door only to see Manol. He asked the guard to open the door for him and he walked in with both his hands folded. "I sensed the magic in your house and you don't reek of it. It was too powerful to just be gone like that and you are too much of an ordinary witch to possess that kind of power. It is almost extinct." Manol said to Nara suspiciously. Nara lughed sarcastically at Manol. "What would you know about witches when you are a sellout. You sold your own kind for power and now you want to tell me about being an ordinary witch." Nara said to him as she laughed. He got angry at her, walked to her and grabbed her chin in his hand. "You don't want to play smart with me Nara. I could have your little family killed too, so  you watch what you say to me." He threatened her and she just looked at him angrily. He let go of her chin and walked slowly back to the door. "The witch didn't come from your family, it was a passer by and I will find that witch." He vowed as he left the cell and Nara just looked at the door as it closed. Manol walked past the corridor and didn't see Tarnia hiding close by. Nara placed her head in between her legs when she heard the door opening. "Not again Manol. Haven't you done enough?" She asked but she saw her queen standing by the door. Nara stood up, ran and hugged the queen who hugged her tightly.  Tarnia kissed Nara one her face and she took her to sit down. "Nara if what Manol said is true then you have to tell the king it wasn't you that used magic. You need to reveal the real culprit please!" The queen begged her but Nara shook her head. "I can't your highness. One day you will understand. I just need you to trust me on this one. Do you trust me?" Nara asked the queen and Tarnia nodded her head. "Of course I trust you Nara. Can't you tell me what is happening?" She asked her maid servant concerned. Nara held the queen's hand with both hers. "I need you to take care of my family. Please makesure they are safe. Do this one thing for me your highness." Nara begged the queen and the queen nodded as she held Nara's hands in hers too.

The king went to the queen's chambers and he was told she had gone to the dungeons to see Nara. This angered the king. He sat on her bed waiting for her and when she opened the door she didn't greet him but walked past him. He grabbed her hand angrily and slapped her hard on the face. "You dare defile my orders and see that witch? You humiliated me in front of my guests, threw yourself at the vampire and now you further humiliate me?" He asked her angrily. Tarnia looked at her husband in anger. "You are a weak man who aims to please the vampires at the expense of his people. You don't think or see clearly now you have doomed and innocent woman to her death!" Tarnia spat in back and her husband hit her again. She fell on the bed but got up and spat in his face. "You are no king Joram! You will die a very sad death one day." She warned him. He wiped the saliva off his face and smiled. "Very well then Tarnia. The girl will be executed today at sundown." He told his wife as he walked away and Tarnia opened her eyes wide open in shock. Joram stopped at the door and said. "You be prepared to see the girl die today my darling wife." He mocked his wife and walked away. Tarnia fell to the floor and broke down in tears. She looked at the sun and she realized she had only a couple of hours to get Nara's family out of the city because the king would go after them to satisfy the vampires and werewolves. She quickly went into her cupboard and took out her old dress and a blue cloak. She rushed out of her chambers and through the back. On her way out she bumped into Reeva. "Going somewhere your highness?" He asked her in his cool deep voice. She shook her head and walked past him. "Go and I will cover for you. But be careful how you associate with the witches Tarnia." He warned her. She just looked at him and ran out through the back. She too out one the horses and rode into the city to find Nara's siblings.