THE WITCH'S SPELL

The low cackling evil laughter of the witch awoke something in her; her werewolf form. She fought it but it was useless. She knew it wouldn’t last long. It was only triggered because she sensed danger coming. She had no idea how right she was.

The old woman rose to her feet and began to put her items of divination in place. All the while, she did not say a word to Opal. By the time she was done, Opal had switched back to her human form. 

She drew a large circle in the middle of the room and beckoned on her to step forward. Opal obeyed wordlessly. The witch stretched her shriveled hand, demanding for her to release the gemstone to her. 

Opal removed the gemstone carefully from her undergarment where she had safely hidden it and dropped it on her palm. She closed her palm and when she opened it again, the gemstone had disappeared. 

Opal stared back in horror, wondering where it had gone to. It took a moment for it to make sense to her. She was a witch, of course. These kind of things were not uncommon. 

Once inside the circle, the witch began to move around it, giving it a full 360° spin. She repeated the act for three times and came to an abrupt stop before an alter. 

Opal's heart was trembling now. Had Tave caught her scent yet?

The old woman crouched lower and picked up an old dusty book. She blew away the dust and opened the book. A hazy smoke rose from it and roamed all over her face. She began to chant from the book. 

“Espiritus! Sanctiminitus! Lila abeni surez!” Her voice echoed through the woods. “Take the spirit and soul from this willing body and let her find another form in the land of the living!”

Opal felt a tingling sensation go through her. Other than that, there was nothing. Just a deep foreboding silence. Her eyes wandered around in surprise. This was the point where her soul was supposed to leave her body, and yet, nothing had happened. 

The witch moved closer to her and drew a sign on her forehead with ashes. 

“Travel in the light,” She mumbled, her voice clear as crystal. “Do not follow the darkness for the darkness only brings death.”

Opal began to tremble. 

“I___I don’t understand,” She quivered. “What light am I supposed to travel in?”

The old woman smiled. 

“It will all make sense when you have begun your journey, child.”

Her voice was drowned by a rush of heavy, spinning wind. And slowly, she became distant. Opal let out a loud, piercing scream. For some reason, the wind only affected the area around where she stood. 

What is happening? She thought aloud. 

The wind brought the witch's low howling laughter to her ears. It was the last thing she heard before everything went black. Then suddenly, a blinding light flashed before her eyes. And then, nothing. 

******

Tave dug his fists into the ground, sniffing the footprint more closely now. He recognized the scent at once and a wave of gnawing anger crept into his heart. 

Where had she gone to? 

He walked faster now, quickening his pace, his eyes red and glazed. Wherever she’d gone to, he would find her tonight and he would kill her. 

Soon, he found himself standing before a hut with a lantern by the door. Tave stopped short. This was where her scent had led him to. He was convinced that she was here. Her scent was stronger here than anywhere else. 

Rejuvenated, Tave stepped forward, drawing closer to the hut. He stopped before the door and listened. There was no sound from the inside. He thought he’d heard something from the back. It sounded like someone was digging something . 

Tave made a quick turn and reversed his steps to the back of the hut. There, he met with the greatest surprise of his life; a shriveled old woman digging the ground with a bewildering energy while a body lay by her side. 

His vision was sharp, and so were his movements He moved quickly, sliding into the area before the old woman knew what was happening. When he saw the face of the corpse, Tave suddenly grew cold. 

“What?!” He barked at the old woman. “You killed her?”

The witch turned around, gasping in surprise. 

“Who are you?” She asked, startled. 

Tave looked up at her, his eyes filled with anger. 

“The alpha werewolf who is going to kill you, you evil witch!” He moved closer to her until he was staring down at her small figure. “Why did you kill her?!”

The witch gave a low whimper. 

“I___I didn’t,” She stammered. “She wanted to be reincarnated, so I cast a spell on her to grant her wish. She’s still alive, just in another body.”

Tave blinked twice, struggling to grasp what she’d said. 

“What do you mean by she’s alive in another body?”

“I___I sent her to the future.”

A cold stare followed. 

“How long in the future?”

“Uhm___” Her eyes wandered away in thinking and returned almost immediately, “Give or take, two years. She’ll be born as a baby in another body in two years. No one from today will recognize her for who she was before “

Tave clenched his fists at once, his anger returning. 

“You helped her escape her punishment in this world? Do you have any idea what you have just done?”

The witch did not answer. She did not look remorseful either. 

Tave was pacing through the yard now, holding his head with both hands, as if to stop it from exploding. Suddenly, he came to an abrupt stop before the witch and said, “You have to reincarnate me too! She stole something precious from me. I need to find her wherever she is, collect what she stole from me, and kill her!”

The witch looked uncertain. 

“I___I can’t do that.”

“Why?” He demanded, his tone stone cold. 

“Because___well, you’re an Alpha werewolf. Your spirit and soul will be much stronger and harder to control,” She motioned at Opal's dead body on the ground, “She was a Luna. It was much easier with her. But you?” She shook her head, “I can’t do it. It’s too risky.”

Tave gave her an unnerving stare. 

“How risky?”

The witch sighed. “You could end up landing a couple of years in the future ahead of her or if things go very wrong, you could lose all your memories of the past life. You wouldn’t even recognize her even if you saw her.”

“Wait!” Tave commanded, halting her, “Her memories are still intact in the future, aren’t they? Didn’t you make it so?”

“I did, but it may not be so easy with you.”

“Do it!” Tave ordered. “Whatever spell you cast on her, cast it on me too. Send me to the same future as her. I could forget her face but I could never forget her evil eyes.”

A long silence followed. The witch stood by her shovel, her face distorted by a frown. 

Tave was speaking again. 

“Witches have been banished from Hanesville and its environs, have they not?” His lips curved into a lopsided smile, “I've caught your scent, so wherever you are, I will lead all the werewolves in my pack including our supreme Alpha werewolf to kill you,” He saw the shocked look on her face and paused to allow her to absorb his words. 

“You can either cast the spell on me and allow me to go to the future or refuse and face what’s coming,” His voice got icy cold, “So, which is it going to be?”

The two pairs of dark eyes gazed at each other, each trying to stare the other down. In the end, the witch gave in, lowering her gaze. She heaved a frustrated sigh and pulled her shovel from the ground. 

“I have to finish burying the corpse first,” She said tonelessly. 

Tave gave a wry grin. 

“We have all night, witch.”