045 The Vita Collybus Spell

It took them only half of the time when they went there to get back to the bar. Kitty thought she was nervous and a bit excited, but the stress was much more tightened as she felt Erebus hitting on the gas.

"Metis, talk to me." Erebus asked as then stepped in the bar.

"Some of Perses men got into the city right after you left for the village that day." Metis came to Erebus and started walking with his as she spoke, "From what we know now, they came FROM the village."

"They took something from there?" Erebus rose an eyebrow.

"More like someone." Metis nodded.

"Emma!" Kitty gasped.

"We think so. And we think she's the only survivor, except Kitty, now it seems, which is why they had been hell bent on Killing Kitty." Metis said.

"Not really." Kitty said in deep thoughts.

"What do you mean?" Erebus asked.

"They could have killed me right where they found me, the first time AND the second. They were trying to kill me only because the order was to wipe out the city, I feel. I didn't feel like especially targeted for my death until the last time when he made a call." Kitty shook her head slowly.

"Who did he make a call to?" Erebus was surprised.

"I don't know, but it was a woman's voice. He was in the middle of a sentence saying I know important information, and she didn't even care. She yelled 'kill her now!' and even I heard her when I wasn't that close to the phone." Kitty told him.

"Means they weren't told why when they were instructed to leave no survivors, that's why they didn't try their best." Metis nodded.

"But they will now." Erebus said in a sullen tone, "Now that the woman behind all these stepped up and made her appearance, she will take the lead from now on."

"I wonder who she could be." Metis said, and suddenly stopped herself and looked up at Erebus in shock with a murmur: "It can't be..."

"It can. And it's very likely that it IS her." Erebus looked into her eyes and answered.

"Who are you talking about?" Kitty asked, not understanding at all.

"I have been looking into the treason of our old queen, the queen our King marked as his mate. It's a long story, and I'll fill you in later. For now, where are you on Perses's men and Emma's location?" Erebus put a hand on Kitty's shoulder and asked Metis.

"Yes, about that. We have found their trace, but we couldn't locate them, because they disappear around Fourteenth Avenue, just like when Menoetius lost Kitty."

"What?" Kitty gasped. She had no idea she was being followed.

"You mean a witch is involved." Erebus said calmly but with a serious tone.

"We think so, yes. And right now, we can only limit the location to the area from Fourteenth Avenue to Thrush Cross. We didn't want to risk alerting them so we didn't go in, but from what happened to Menoetius, we won't able to see anything even if we did." Metis shook her head as she introduced the situation.

"It's wise that you didn't. It won't do us any good even if you went in. I'll handle it." Erebus nodded and pulled out his phone.

"But my Lord, I thought Signo the Imprimerer doesn't want to get involved in politics..." Metis said with hesitation.

"This is too important, he will understand." Erebus shook his hand.

"Hmm, I might know someone who can help." Kitty suddenly said.

"The witch that's helping you?" Erebus asked.

"Yeah. She is supposed to be Emma's mom's good friend. I told you--" Kitty nodded her head and turned to Erebus.

"Yes, a blue haired witch who still remained a mystery." Erebus said, and that was when they heard:

"About that. I've found something that might interest you." A voice rose from behind them.

The three turned to look at the owner of the voice.

It was Iapetus.

"I've found the couple registered as Kitty's parents." Iapetus said, glancing at Kitty's expression.

It was rare to see him caring about other's feeling. Erebus sighed slightly. He might have scared them too much with how he handled Kitty's stuff.

"Wait! You are--" Kitty exclaimed with a hand over her own mouth.

"Err..." Iapetus totally forgot that he should be the new face to her because he was supposed to be a stuff of the mysterious owner of the hotel.

"We will talk about it later." Metis simply said and stopped the dangerous conversation.

"Okay, what about them?" Kitty asked, trying to keep a calm voice. What does this mean?!!

"There are their photos." Iapetus handed over a picture. "And on the night of their deaths, someone saw a blue light shot out of their house."

"I've never met them in my life." Kitty said, looking up at Erebus, "I swear..."

"That's what I thought." Iapetus suddenly said. The three all turned to look at him in shock.

"Signo the Imprimerer." Erebus said.

"What? What are you talking about?" Metis was now totally lost.

"Lord told me to look for him, Signo the Imprimerer, concerning the two stars that fell into the village where Kitty was living." Iapetus said, "And he said, it's mostly likely to be a Vita Collybus spell."

That said, Iapetus just stood there and look at them, as if waiting for some sudden enlightenment.

"Well?" Erebus said.

"Isn't that obvious?" Iapetus looked genuinely surprised.

"We are not expert on spell, Iapetus." Metis said with extraordinary patience.

"Yes, of course. But--" Iapetus still seemed shocked.

"So what's a Vita Collybus spell?" Kitty just plainly asked what was on all the others' minds.

"What does it sound like--" Iapetus said with a grinning smile. He cannot help his passion when it comes to riddles.

"Iapetus!" Metis yelled at him.

"Fine, fine." Iapetus held up his hands, "It means, exchange life."

The four of them again, fell in silence. Except three of them was silent due to confusion, and Iapetus was giving them time to think.

"Okay..." Kitty said with hesitation, "You said two stars, did you mean the two shot of lights hitting the village two months ago?"

"Yes!" Iapetus said with such a passion in his tone, "28 days, to be precise, before the whole village was destroyed."

"One of them was blue, and the other red." Kitty nodded, "You mean one replaced the other? It doesn't make sense. They didn't look anything alike, to be starters. The blue one was like a drop of water hitting the surface of the ocean and disappeared into the air; while the red one was more like an arrow. It hit the ground with force."

"Nice! Exactly like what I thought." Iapetus nodded with a satisfaction smile on his face.

"You saw it?" Metis gasped.

"Of course." Kitty shrugged, "the whole village saw the blue one, I suppose. I felt the like the blue light is like fragrant air that you can breathe in, and it lit up the whole village. And the red one, that one shot straight at me, well actually Emma, now that we know she's the daughter of a witch, and we dodged it only to made it shoot into the ground."

"Sounds about right." Iapetus nodded in deep thoughts, "The blue one was exactly like how Signo the Imprimerer described how the Vita Collybus spell would work. And the red one..."

Their eyes were all on Iapetus. He paused for a second and said:

"...is a tracking spell."

"So someone has been tracking the blue haired witch, who exchanged her life with yet another someone?" Kitty asked, "But, the blue spell didn't hit anyone in particular either--"

"Half of what you said was right. The red star is tracking the blue haired witch, but the blue spell, is the end of the Vita Collybus spell, as in, when the exchange ended." Iapetus said and stared at Kitty with expectation in his eyes.

"Iapetus, could you just tell us what you found without all these riddles?" Metis was losing her patience.

"What do you think?" Iapetus ignored Metis and asked Kitty. She looked up at Erebus, who just slightly nodded at her with encourage and patience in his eyes.

"So they exchanged fate, and that exchange ended on that night..." Kitty mumbled to herself, "what's so special about that night--Oh my God!"

Iapetus smiled with pride and satisfaction, waiting for Kitty to say the answer.

"Themis said, my 'parents' died a month ago! Was it that night? The couple died on that night, and that's why the exchange spell stopped!"

"Right, go on." Iapetus encouraged.

"And the red spell! The red spell only got the scent of the blue witch because the blue witch's spell ended! That's why it followed the spell to our village! You, you don't think--" Kitty looked up at Erebus in horror, who finished her sentence:

"And that's why your village was destroyed. Because the red witch found her target on that night."

"But how come it didn't find the blue witch, or the couple before that-- Oh no!" Kitty gasped. There's only one explanation: the red witch killed the couple!

"No, you are wrong this time." Iapetus said softly, "If it was the red witch who killed the couple, it would have been like what happened to your village. Think, little girl, think."

"I, I don't know..." Kitty took a step back, still in shock. Her mind was a mess and she couldn't even focus to think.

"It's okay, Kitty, it's okay." Erebus took her into his arm and patted her on the head. "It's all over now. You are safe, and we will stop the red witch this time. It won't happen again."

His soft, firm voice calmed Kitty down a bit. She took a deep breath in his arms before she lifted her head up and said:

"She wiped out the village, because she didn't know, who was the target."