Into The Past

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"Uh what's a crone?" I asked feeling a little embarrassed by my lack of knowledge in supernatural terms.

"It's the leader of witches. The highest title and most powerful witch alive" Seb answered staring at Helia. The old woman smiled and nodded to him.

"That is correct. My title gives me great power and knowledge." Helia told me.

"What does any of this have to do with me? How do I fit into this?" I needed to know what was going on here. Helia gave me a warm smile. Same one Verna uses. Wonder if it's a witch thing.

"My dear Analise you are very special. But to understand your place now you must first know how the story began." Helia reached into her pocket pulling out a small vile. A swirling metallic green liquid was inside. I watched curiously as she poured one single droplet onto the table. Upon impact it shimmered brightly as it swirled into a ball.

It looks cool but what is it?

My question was answered when an image began to appear. It was blurry at first but soon cleared. It's like she turned the table into a TV monitor. The distorted picture transformed into a woman; a beautiful woman at that. Her face was strong but her eyes soft and blue like mine. Even her long dark hair resembled me.

Who is she?

"The woman you see there went by many names. Those close to her called her Celeste. Others knew her as the creator or the pure one." Helia said dropping another droplet of green liquid onto the table.

The image changed again. This time the woman, Celeste, sat on a huge gold throne. The room she was in was extravagant and everything was blinding white. Her long white dress clung to her body perfectly, flowing down past her feet. It made her dark hair and light eyes pop. She was the most striking woman I had ever seen. The way Celeste sat on the throne exuberated power and grace. All I wanted to do was reach my hand out and touch her.

Unconsciously my hand slowly reached out to her.

"Ana don't!" Jace shouted. But it was too late. As soon as my fingertips touched the table they sank through like they would a glass of cold water. As if something on the side was pulling me into it.

"Ana let go!" Jace yelled.

"I can't" I screamed back. I tried to pull my arm back but the more I pulled the harder this force yanked me through. Seb wrapped his arms around my waist as he tried unsuccessfully to help me out. Panic kicked in when the table, which really wasn't a table, had consumed me up to my shoulder.

"Ahh! Help!" I screamed as Seb gripped me harder

"Grandmother! Get her out!" Jace's voice was riddled with anxiety which only further added to my rising fear.

"This is not my doing. Analise wants this" Helia said calmly.

What the heck is she talking about? This I can easily say I do not want! I opened my mouth to yell at her because she is beyond crazy if she thinks I want to be sucked into something I can't even explain. When suddenly the force holding me increased in strength and snatched me from Seb's strong arms into a pit of flashing colors…

Seb Pov

Sebs heart pounded a tattoo against his chest. Whatever had Ana just ripped her from his arms into the image on the table that has since disappeared. He instantly dropped to his knees looking underneath hoping it was just some parlor trick. Unfortunately it wasn't and Ana was nowhere in sight

"Where is she witch?!" He said barely containing his anger. How could she calmly sit there after what just happened? Helia raised a brow at him before reaching into her other pocket taking out another vile with purple fluid inside.

"I simply show what needs to be seen. Analise chose to enter the past herself. Whether she knew consciously or not it felt her true desire and tugged her in" Helia leaned over the now normal looking table dropping three pinches of the new liquid onto it.

An explosion of light beamed through the center. Seb had to cover his eyes for a moment until it died down. Spots still danced in his line of sight after.

"What's happening? Where did she go?" Jace asked.

Both men simmered with anger as they looked down at the distorted image that began to appear. Helia didn't reply, just pointed a wrinkling finger at the table.

Finally a picture came through visibly.

It was the same as the one Ana touched. The beautiful woman sat on her throne alone in the white marble room. The room itself looked elegant and royal. Something from those fairy tales he used to read Marie when she was young.

Seb wondered briefly where this was. He was about to asked but the picture widened showing an unconscious Ana lying on the floor a few feet away from the woman. Seb's hand automatically reached out to Ana. Unlike what just happen a moment ago, Sebs hand didn't sink through but instead felt the cold, hard surface of the wood table.

"You can't enter a vortex. Especially one like this that's so far into the past" Helia said when she saw the disappointed look on his face

"Where is she? Is she alright?" Seb was angry that he didn't protect her but whatever pulled her in was too strong for him.

"Analise is one thousand years in the past. I wanted to show her how she fits into what's happening by showing her how it all began but the vortex drew her inside instead." Helia replied to him before walking out of the room.

Sebs eyes went back to the table. Ana still lay unmoving on the floor. All he wanted was to be there beside her and comfort her.

"So this is some kind of portal and she is back in time?" Seb asked still waiting for Ana to move

"Not exactly. If a portal is open anyone can pass through it to the other side. This is usually to a different place but the same point in time. A vortex however, is a window into certain past events and only extremely powerful people can safely transport through one." Jace explained.

Jace too was watching Ana before suddenly turning away. He began rummaging through cabinets taking out jars containing different powders and liquids. Jace started to furiously combine the ingredients, some of which appeared to be live insects, into a bowl.

"What are you doing?" Seb thought Jace might be losing it. He hoped the boy wasn't seriously going to eat that foul smelling concoction.

"I can't travel in a vortex. Hell I'm not even strong enough to open a vortex window like my grandmother did. But I remember a spell my grams taught me that will allow me to send my spirit through." Jace was speaking too quickly. Seb could barely keep up with what he was going on about.

"Explain further" Seb demanded. Jace shouldered past him looking into yellow fridge for something. He huffed angrily when he didn't find it. Jace went back to open and slamming cabinets obviously missing an item in his disgusting concoction.

"Listen I need to send my spirit to Ana. The vortex pulled her in because that's what she wanted. It won't allow her out until she sees what she went there to see. Without a guide she could be stuck there" Jace's voice was filled with dread and it only made Seb even angrier that he wasn't able to hold onto her.

"Looking for something?" Helia said appearing back in the kitchen like she never left. Jace turned to his short grandmother with a distressed look on his face

"Please tell me where the fairy wings are?" he begged.

Fairy wings? Seb thought. They couldn't be talking about wings from an actual fairy. Could they?

"Fairies are extinct. Those wings are very rare and hard to come by. What do you need them for?" Helia spoke in such a cool manner Seb wondered if the woman was ever worried about anything. She certainly isn't worried about Ana, at least not to the extent of his worry or Jace's.

"I need to help Ana if she doesn't find her way…" Jace trailed off the end running his hands through his hair. Seb picked up that there is much more to this than Jace originally stated.

"My grandson, you are not strong or experienced enough to properly be any help to her" Helia said gently to Jace

"Then you do it!" Seb interjected.

It was kind of her fault Ana's in there anyway. The least she could do is help her out. Helia turned her knowing gray eyes on him; studying him for a moment. The way her eyes peered into his it was like she was looking into his soul or something. He wanted to turn away but something inside him would not back down.

"Interesting" She said with a small smile "Okay I'll go to her only if you do something for me after" Helia bargained

"Deal" Seb replied instantly agreeing even though he hadn't a clue what she wanted from him. Her eyes lit up in delight at his speedy reply. Seb didn't care about that now. All he wanted was Ana out of that vortex. And if he couldn't get her himself then Helia was his only choice.

The old witch opened a drawer next to fridge. It seemed to be empty but there was a tiny latch on the inside that she pushed to open a hidden compartment. Jace huffed in annoyance, probably because he missed that in his earlier search.

She pulled out a small square box made of leaves. Slowly she pried it open and out fluttered a pair of wings. Seb watched in awe as the three inch wings fluttered lively in the air; their blue like glow casting an unreal gleam around the room.

It was beautiful, he could only wonder what the fairy looked like who they wings belonged to.

"Wow that's amazing" Seb couldn't shake his shocked state. He knew about vampires and witches but not any other creatures of the night.

"Yes, it is such a sad thing these entire poor creatures were slaughtered for the power in the very wings you see now" Helia said catching the wings in her fist "These were a gift from a dying fairy friend" she added referring to wings in her hand.

Seb wished Marie could see this. His sister always believed fairies were real. Guess she was right.

Helia took the mixture Jace prepared and took her seat at the table. The image was still showing Ana lying unconscious. Seb's heart tightened with anxiety.

"Grams are you sure about this" Jace asked dampening her face and arms with a wet towel

"You know the risks Jace" Helia whispered back drinking the foul smelling bubbling liquid. Seb wondered what was all in there but thought better about asking.

She released the wings back into the air. They fluttered gracefully hypnotizing Seb yet again.

" Letjeti Me U Zemlju Besmrtnika Dragi Moj Prijatelju " Helia said in a foreign language eyes closed tightly. The wings flapped harder before diving into her open mouth. The blue glow still showing as they passed down her throat.

"What did she speak?" Seb asked Jace

"She was speaking in Croatian; the language of the fairies. She asked the wings to take her to the land of immortals" Jace answered taking slow steps away from his grandmothers still body.

Helia's body started to shake slightly and right before his eyes trails of steam rose from her skin. That explains why Jace was wetting her skin.

"Jace, tell me the truth. What will happen if this doesn't work?" Seb knew the younger guy was holding something back and he needed to know what. Jace fully faced him with sad eyes.

"If Ana doesn't find her way out the pressure of the vortex will weigh on her body. She isn't from that time so the longer she's there her body will begin to give. She'll get cold, it'll become harder for her to move as her internal organs crush and then…" Jace stopped himself and glanced longingly at Ana on the mock screen. Jealousy rose within Seb but he pushed it aside. For now

"And then what?" He pushed Jace to finish his sentence even though he already guessed the outcome.

"And then she'll die…"

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#Tobecontinued.....👊