Chapter 3

The next day came with rays of sunlight pouring through the windows and burning at her eye lids, it came with birds chirping melodiously. Noise.

And it also came with head witch Astra's unholy shrill voice, which pierced through the sweet lull clouding her ears, if the catastrophic voice didn't scatter her eardrums, then the pounding on the door would.

"Nadea! Wake up this instant!"

That did it! She rushed to her feet and headed for the door, then.... Then with a ferocious swivel she took a precised right turn towards the bath that was already filled up by an eunuch.

Then she proceeded to wash and rinse off precipitately. But no matter how much she tried, she dozed off a few times.

Breakfast, as it was. Was ruled,forthwith, out of option, as headmistress Allegra bundled them all outside to wait beside a large worn coach.

While their trunks were loaded in another coach, the shortlisted witches council took another.

The girls all looked excited and bright eyed, she wondered distastefully if they weren't deprived their sleep.

Lilith, as incandescent as always, was draped in a fitting cream gown, her brown belt matching her coat and leather boots. Poppy and Aurelia, the twins; their gleaming chestnut tresses were pulled back and fastened elegantly. Camila and Imogen were the last to join up, their sable tresses falling around their shoulders in silk cascades. Their sooty brows arched like rainbows over excited blue eyes.

In Dea's case, a plain brown bonnet with no adorned ribbon whatsoever was shoved down her head, by headmistress Allegra, covering almost all her face in a bid to hide her unfitting hair.

Her brown garbs were equally plain. Perhaps, headmistress Allegra wasn't aware that there were other ways to stand out. One of which was; sticking out like a sore thumb.

When the last trunk was loaded, they all filled into the large coach. Leather seats faced each other, each containing four girls.

The coaches rolled into cobblestones and, for a while they rode.

Now that Dea had come out of her sleepy haze, the sun appeared to smile down on her, nature giving her a loving kiss.

The fresh breeze wafted past in waves as the steady drum of horses hooves hit the ground.

The carriage shook with each contact the wheels made with stones, each rustle a somewhat relaxing lull.

Her heart, beat a steady rhythm as a serene smile tugged at her lips.

She felt as if a new chapter of her life had just begun.

"I wonder what mongrel over there is smiling about."

Poppy thought aloud while the other witches snickered. Dea thought she ought to turn poppy into a nice, fat pig.

"Perhaps," Meredith interjected, still entertaining the fact that Dea was a carnivore, "she's thinking of the next unlucky villager to devour. Plump or skinny? Her mind chimes." The snickers increased as Meredith used an obnoxious voice that was supposed to be hers.

"How can she even make a decision when her hair can't decide what colour to be." The snickers turned to laughter.

Dea turned a harsh questioning gaze to Lilith, who's interjection was so at odds with her normal quiet and tranquil. Lilith merely smiled unfriendly and turned her attention to the window.

They rode long, and in silence after that. Dea kept her gaze firmly locked on the window, they were to stop en route to journey through the ice territory on a sleigh, sent personally from the ice palace.

Their village was on the outskirts of the ice kingdom, partly between the scarlet kingdom.

Witches were removed from the ice kingdom centuries ago.

The carriage slowed to a stop before vast acres of snow, as the other girls got off the carriage, she heard fascinated gasps.

Dea alighted to behold three magnificent sleighs, with gilded crests of an elegant bird and a feline.

The sleighs were attached to strong white horses.

The hired help ushered them in through fine doors, the witches cooed and purred over velvet paddings and lavish decors.

While she admired the elegance, a stiff back from the long ride prodded her opinion of their borders not being anymore delineated if they tried.

They seemingly rode on forever, into noonday, along unending snow.

One of the girls gasped and stared, transfixed, into a distance. The other girls, confused, followed her line of sight. They too stared, enthralled. Even Lilith looked on, mouth slack.

Straining as far as her neck could allow, Dea turned.

An enormous ice castle!

From afar, the castle appeared to rise out of nowhere, fortresses glinted like cut crystals as sun rays reflected off it. Ice spires and parapets of battlements disappeared into cold fogs.

On nearing the sturdy gatehouses, a long ice bridge pulled over crystalline moats of intrinsic turquoise blue, reflecting strong and unending ice  walls.

Portcullises of serrated ice closed behind them.

Before them, a whole kingdom unfolded, snow blew into deep piles and drifted against hedges.

They rode through towns and villages, manors that were built from ice, cottages with roofs ladened with snow, taverns, bakers, stables, ice ponds, oceans, workshops.

All made from ice. And above all, they could see the sprawling keep in a far distance through hazes of smoke from coals.

They rode past ice landers of pale colourings bundled in equally pale furs and woolen attires.

Children playing in open parks stopped to behold the splendid royal sleigh, their faces pink and smudged with snow. Their little mouths hanging open, and doe eyes widening in bafflement.

Drawing on her long coat, she half wondered if they ever felt any cold. 

There was something.... Strange about the ice males, they appeared to glow....

There! A shirtless blacksmith paused to wipe his sweat --sweating on ice?-- and she caught a glimpse of glowing ice like drawings curving over his pale chest and shoulders.

She looked at her caste witches to see if they, too, caught sight of the glyphs. But their gazes were locked on the gigantic ice keep.

They rode into dark. There was a wide berth between the keep and the kingdom.

The sleigh rolled to a stop along a snow filled highway. They all alighted, Dea could scarcely make out a tall building through the darkness.

"Come along." The driver prodded.

They followed behind Allegra and the council.

Entering into the building, Dea immediately realised it was an inn.

The inn keeper, a bespectacled balding man, rushed towards the royal driver and bowed. They carried on a conversation she couldn't hear.

The innkeeper took out a few keys from his desk and handed them over to the driver, who proceeded to lead them to their rooms.

Past the crowded bar and up the dark staircase they went. She and Aurelia were to share a room, Dea didn't even have it in her to wonder where Allegra and the rest were stationed. After a light dinner, she succumbed to sleep.

The next day, after a quick bath in a wooden tub, they were back on the snowy road.

This time, they rode to noonday.

Finally, they neared the ice hill atop which the keep was erected, the middle was paved to allow passage.

At the top of the hill, massive gilded gates, attached to strong walls spaced with fortified towers, opened.

By now, all the witches were straining on their seats.

The courtyard was vast and unending, beautiful court houses were strewn around.

Going over to a stable in the wide courtyard, they all alighted.

Nearing the fortified keep, two large ice buildings were built on either side of the castle, Dea wasn't sure which housed the banqueting hall.

In the central courtyard, a huge ice fountain stood before the marbled steps, flanked by large ice statues of a bird and a feline on raised ice daises. Behind the statues were a wide variety of snoe plants, blooming in shades of shimmering whites, their bushes trimmed.

Going up the marbled steps, atop which the king stood, the witches all curtsied before him, while the eunuchs bowed. The King's skin was frail with centuries worth age, his pale blue eyes expressionless. Upon his white head, sat an ice circlet with a gleaming blue jewel in the middle.

On either side of him were huge guards, their curving glyphs glowing on exposed skin. The blue witches were already present, the earth witches were yet to arrive from the lykaen kingdom.

The atmosphere was tense as the two covens sized each other up. As it was, Camilla eyed a tall, dark haired blue witch distastefully. And head witch Hilda looked at a blue head witch with ill concealed contempt.

A plump ice woman, she hadn't noticed before, came forth. Her pale furs trimmed to her petite size.

"Welcome," her voice was light and cheerful, "I am the keep's mistress, Keira. And I'm sure you all must be famished. Please do follow me."

The ice king, with a muttered welcome, led the way, towards huge steel double doors with swirls of ice crystals leading to huge crystal handles.

The king pushed open the doors, and....

It was like nothing she had ever seen before.

Ice walls like blue sapphires stretched out to curving archways, pilasters and grooved ice columns, connecting to high vaulted ceilings. A series of glinting massive crystal chandeliers hung high, leading south.

Noble upholstered furnitures were evenly distributed in resplendent rich velvets and wooven brocades, two wide double staircases stood ahead. The newel posts were seemingly made out of sapphires, balusters and handrails curved up in slides of ice, sprawling up to rows of balconies overlooking the grand hall. carved ornamentations were placed on gleaming agate diases.

Four huge gilded steel doors were attached to every end of the hall. Open archways in the hall revealed bustling ice servants.

Keira led them to the third door one on the southern wall.

It was precisely accurate to say, the keep's mistress, seemingly unperturbed, led drooling wide eyed witches and eunuchs through the grand Hall.

Keira pushed open the double doors and they were greeted by a large dinning carved out of ice, numerous straight backed chairs surrounded the monumental table.

Going over to the dinning table ladened with immaculate silver plate settings, a hand caught her wrist, Allegra's, she whispered instructions at her ear.

"Last door on the southern wall by the alcove, the throne room. Make your request to the king." She said and went away.

Swallowing back trepidation, Dea took a seat on one of the numerous chairs.

The double doors were pushed open once again, by Keira, and a line of maids in servant garbs filed in, each carrying a delicacy.

The king only stayed long enough to commence the dinner. Then he excused himself, disappearing behind steel doors and leaving them to their devices.

Dinner was simply splendid, they were served red wines with rich stews and sweet breads, fresh fruits and fritters, and so much more.

Not far off into the quiet dinner, she caught headmistresses Allegra's gaze, she gave a subtle inclination of her head.

Gathering her wits, Dea stood.

Ignoring curious stairs, she made her way through the double doors and into a sea of stewards, who lead her, unquestioningly, to the throne room.

She stood before the huge doors and didn't fail to observe that no guard stood in front of it.

Battling with a serious case of confusion, she took a deep breath and pushed at the handles.