Hi Everyone...I hope you have been enjoying the book so far. Here is Chapter Three.
Chapter Three
Lindy
Venzu Village - 0830
The Town Hall was filled to its seams by the time Jacob and I got there. Women and children sat side by side on ancient wooden benches, and men stood along the sides, and back of the hall, spilling out through the open mahogany doors.
All eyes were on Maxwell the Village Mayor/ Head Witch, as he took to the stage and placed a scroll on the pulpit. He had dark bags under his eyes, and his usually pristine clothes were smudged with dirt. He looked down at the village elders as they took their seats, a grim expression on his face.
Fear permeated through the air making the meeting hall smell musky and thick with panic. Chemmis had been in peace for centuries and the warning bell was an omen that things were about to change. This made me think of my recent visions and how odd they have been. I chewed nervously at my thumb. This meeting couldn’t be related to the vision. There was no way, our ancestors would have given a witchling like myself with a great vision. It was unheard off.
Jacob glanced my way, worry etched his boyish face. I smiled at him and mouthed “I’m okay, but his eyes still looked haunted.” So, I lowered my eyes, so he could not see my true feelings.
I replayed the premonition in my mind, trying to spot something new, a smell or a sound. So captivated by my thoughts, I missed by best friend Dillon's entry through the side-door of the hall.
‘Hey, how’s a space there Lin?’ he said, as he squeezed in between Jacob and I.
I slid over and gave him a weak smile. He gave me his signature ear-to-ear grin, and I felt my anxiety ease a little.
Dillion could always make me feel better, no matter the situation. I met Dillion on my first day in kindergarten. He was the extrovert, who lived to shock people and I was the shy emo-kid. On that day, Dillion placed a frog on the teacher’s chair, because she made me stand on a chair in front of the whole class for fifteen minutes. This was punishment for not knowing the “Witches Code” off by heart. Unfortunately, the teacher was allergic to frogs. She broke out into hives and Dillion got detention for a week. Still, that act sealed the deal, and Dillion and I became best friends from then on.
‘What's up with the press conference?’ Dillion asked.
I shrugged my shoulders.
‘We don’t know yet, but it must be something big. The warning bell hasn’t rung in centuries.’
‘Yeah, I thought it was a prank at first, until dad yanked me out of bed. The “Wizard Bloods” gang has been up to no good in my street all week.’
He glanced behind us. Three members of the gang stood just inside the hall, dressed in all black, and sporting a lighting bolt tattoo on their right arm.
I shook my head. The gang had started out as a school club and now they were, creating dangerous spells and acting like juvenile elephants.
Maxwell cleared his throat and all eyes turned to him.
‘Good Morning, citizens of Venzu. I thank you all, for your quick response to the warning bell.”
A few people repeated the greeting, but most remained silent in anticipation.
‘As you may have heard, there have been rumors of strange occurrences in the other provinces.’
Heads nodded in agreement. We all heard about the “missing” in the other provinces. Children and a few teenagers would go missing for a few hours and would be found wandering in fields or streets with no recollection of where they had been.
‘From Saturday night three faery children, three Magi-pi children and three Seori children, have gone missing and have not returned.’
Gasps of concern filled the room, and the mother sitting next to me tightened her hold on her toddler. Dillion and I shared a glance, it was worse than we expected. Maxwell held up his hand for silence and continued his address, when the room quietened down.
‘Early this morning, the Grand Council called a meeting and it was decided that all villages go into “Lockdown”.’
Everyone seemed to nod in unison and a few men pumped their fists into the air.
‘The council also decided that delegates from each village join the “Finder’s Task Force” at the Bastion.’
The crowd buzzed with questions, and people began raising their hands. Maxwell shushed them.
‘I am sure, many of you would like to join the team. However, the elders have already decided who will be on the delegation,’ he said.
A man behind us bellowed.
‘So, who are these grand delegates?’
Maxwell, cleared his throat and looked straight into my eyes. A chill ran through me and I shivered as the cold filled my body. He looked away and I rubbed my hands together, trying to draw in some warmth.
‘The elders have chosen four witches and witchings,’ Maxwell said.
‘Witchlings, did he really say Witchlings?’ Dillion whispered in disbelief.
My tongue felt too frozen to talk, so all I did was nod in reply.
Maxwell, unrolled the scroll on the pulpit and read out aloud.
‘Delegates from Venzu Province are… High Witch Thomas…’
I released a shrill breath. Thomas was our Weapons Master and my favourite teacher.
‘…Master Mage Gwenivere…,’ Maxwell continued.
Gwenivere was one of the elders and also my grandaunt.
‘…Witchling Dillion…,’ Maxwell said, and I looked at my bestfriend in amazement.
‘You’re a delegate,’ I whispered.
Dillion was stunned into silence and just looked at me with rounded eyes. I closed mine in response that’s why Maxwell looked at me, because Dillion was on the team.
‘…and Witchling Lindy,’
My eyes flew open when he said my name, and in the next second I blacked out.
Chapter Three
Lindy
Venzu Village - 0830
The Town Hall was filled to its seams by the time Jacob and I got there. Women and children sat side by side on ancient wooden benches, and men stood along the sides, and back of the hall, spilling out through the open mahogany doors.
All eyes were on Maxwell the Village Mayor/ Head Witch, as he took to the stage and placed a scroll on the pulpit. He had dark bags under his eyes, and his usually pristine clothes were smudged with dirt. He looked down at the village elders as they took their seats, a grim expression on his face.
Fear permeated through the air making the meeting hall smell musky and thick with panic. Chemmis had been in peace for centuries and the warning bell was an omen that things were about to change. This made me think of my recent visions and how odd they have been. I chewed nervously at my thumb. This meeting couldn’t be related to the vision. There was no way, our ancestors would have given a witchling like myself with a great vision. It was unheard off.
Jacob glanced my way, worry etched his boyish face. I smiled at him and mouthed “I’m okay, but his eyes still looked haunted.” So, I lowered my eyes, so he could not see my true feelings.
I replayed the premonition in my mind, trying to spot something new, a smell or a sound. So captivated by my thoughts, I missed by best friend Dillon's entry through the side-door of the hall.
‘Hey, how’s a space there Lin?’ he said, as he squeezed in between Jacob and I.
I slid over and gave him a weak smile. He gave me his signature ear-to-ear grin, and I felt my anxiety ease a little.
Dillion could always make me feel better, no matter the situation. I met Dillion on my first day in kindergarten. He was the extrovert, who lived to shock people and I was the shy emo-kid. On that day, Dillion placed a frog on the teacher’s chair, because she made me stand on a chair in front of the whole class for fifteen minutes. This was punishment for not knowing the “Witches Code” off by heart. Unfortunately, the teacher was allergic to frogs. She broke out into hives and Dillion got detention for a week. Still, that act sealed the deal, and Dillion and I became best friends from then on.
‘What's up with the press conference?’ Dillion asked.
I shrugged my shoulders.
‘We don’t know yet, but it must be something big. The warning bell hasn’t rung in centuries.’
‘Yeah, I thought it was a prank at first, until dad yanked me out of bed. The “Wizard Bloods” gang has been up to no good in my street all week.’
He glanced behind us. Three members of the gang stood just inside the hall, dressed in all black, and sporting a lighting bolt tattoo on their right arm.
I shook my head. The gang had started out as a school club and now they were, creating dangerous spells and acting like juvenile elephants.
Maxwell cleared his throat and all eyes turned to him.
‘Good Morning, citizens of Venzu. I thank you all, for your quick response to the warning bell.”
A few people repeated the greeting, but most remained silent in anticipation.
‘As you may have heard, there have been rumors of strange occurrences in the other provinces.’
Heads nodded in agreement. We all heard about the “missing” in the other provinces. Children and a few teenagers would go missing for a few hours and would be found wandering in fields or streets with no recollection of where they had been.
‘From Saturday night three faery children, three Magi-pi children and three Seori children, have gone missing and have not returned.’
Gasps of concern filled the room, and the mother sitting next to me tightened her hold on her toddler. Dillion and I shared a glance, it was worse than we expected. Maxwell held up his hand for silence and continued his address, when the room quietened down.
‘Early this morning, the Grand Council called a meeting and it was decided that all villages go into “Lockdown”.’
Everyone seemed to nod in unison and a few men pumped their fists into the air.
‘The council also decided that delegates from each village join the “Finder’s Task Force” at the Bastion.’
The crowd buzzed with questions, and people began raising their hands. Maxwell shushed them.
‘I am sure, many of you would like to join the team. However, the elders have already decided who will be on the delegation,’ he said.
A man behind us bellowed.
‘So, who are these grand delegates?’
Maxwell, cleared his throat and looked straight into my eyes. A chill ran through me and I shivered as the cold filled my body. He looked away and I rubbed my hands together, trying to draw in some warmth.
‘The elders have chosen four witches and witchings,’ Maxwell said.
‘Witchlings, did he really say Witchlings?’ Dillion whispered in disbelief.
My tongue felt too frozen to talk, so all I did was nod in reply.
Maxwell, unrolled the scroll on the pulpit and read out aloud.
‘Delegates from Venzu Province are… High Witch Thomas…’
I released a shrill breath. Thomas was our Weapons Master and my favourite teacher.
‘…Master Mage Gwenivere…,’ Maxwell continued.
Gwenivere was one of the elders and also my grandaunt.
‘…Witchling Dillion…,’ Maxwell said, and I looked at my bestfriend in amazement.
‘You’re a delegate,’ I whispered.
Dillion was stunned into silence and just looked at me with rounded eyes. I closed mine in response that’s why Maxwell looked at me, because Dillion was on the team.
‘…and Witchling Lindy,’
My eyes flew open when he said my name, and in the next second I blacked out.
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