CHAPTER 151: THE CONNECTION

"What could you possibly have that would interest me? I already have everything..."

Even as the Grand Witch said that, Dorothy Green brought out a small box from her pocket and presented it with a flourish....

Because despite the old woman’s denial, she knew that this was something that her Mistress had always wanted. With a small, confident smile, she raised both hands excitedly. Her mistress might just jump with joy.

But the Grand Witch did not even glance at it. Instead, she rose slowly from her chair and turned her back on Dorothy.

"Dorothy," she said, her tone almost pitying, "anything you could possibly have is of no interest to me. Look around you."

She gestured lazily toward the shelves overflowing with charms, crystals, and vials that shimmered in the flickering candlelight. "I have every material thing you can imagine. So, keep your trinkets to yourself."

Dorothy hesitated. "But, Mistress—"

Before she could say more, the Grand Witch was gone. Her figure seemed to dissolve into the air, leaving behind only the faint rustle of her robes and the scent of wild herbs.

Dorothy lowered her hands, looking down at the small box that now felt heavier than before. Inside was the single strand of hair she had stolen from Emira and she was sure that Emira was...

She sighed softly. If only the Mistress had looked at it... she would have known.

Just as Dorothy began to rise, a voice cut through the air.

"Did I not tell you to keep kneeling?" The Grand Witch had reappeared with a bowl of soup in her hand, " I just left to get some dinner and you were already racing away? Where do you think you are going?"

Dorothy Green froze mid-motion. Her knees were already protesting. "Are you serious, Mistress? I am already so old. How can I kneel like a young apprentice?"

"Still as senseless as ever, Dorothy!" the Grand Witch snapped, her silver eyes glinting in the candlelight. "If you don’t wish to kneel, you are free to leave."

Dorothy’s shoulders sagged. She sighed again and slowly sank back to her knees, muttering under her breath. The floor was cold and hard, but she did not dare move.

The Grand Witch sat back in her rocking chair, eyes closed, the faint creak of the wood the only sound that filled the heavy silence between them.

Dororthy sighed and moved to bring out the box again, but the Grand Witch snapped," If you try to show me your present again, I will throw you into the lake behind the house."

Dorothy shuddered. Knowing her Mistress’ anger, she well understood that the woman meant what she said. And that lake would be frozen this time of the year...

While she was thinking of some way to discuss the topic she wanted to raise, her mistress’ began," Have you been keeping an eye on the things I told you to take care of? Or did you forget those?"

"I have, Mistress. That is what brought me here." Dorothy’s tone trembled slightly, though she tried to sound calm and curb her excitement. "You told me to keep an eye out for the rise of dark magic. There is a place near the South... a place called the Moonville Pack. Close to it lies an ancient ground known as The Ruins. Our Prince discovered it recently and brought back a handful of soil from there. Mistress, it reeks of dark magic so strong that... it is unbearable even to stand near it."

The Grand Witch did not turn to face her. Her voice came quiet, almost indifferent. "If the magic was that strong, then your Prince would not have been able to walk out of the place alive, Dorothy."

"Yes, Mistress," Dorothy said quickly. "He was also barely able to escape. His guards said he almost collapsed the moment he returned. The others who did not go inside were also nauseous and unable to even breathe as long as they were near. I believe there could be two reasons for the Prince’s successful return. One, he is an empath, and perhaps his ability shielded him for a while. But the second reason, which I feel is more likely, is that the magic at the Ruins is not yet complete."

For a long while, the room fell silent. Dorothy waited, her head bowed low, eyes on the floor. The fire in the hearth crackled softly, and the smell of herbs thickened the air.

She would have thought the Grand Witch had fallen asleep if not for the quiet slurping sound that broke the silence - the sound of the Mistress drinking soup from her wooden bowl. Dorothy dared not interrupt. So, she simply waited, knowing better than to speak before being addressed.

Finally, the Grand Witch asked, "Did you bring the soil with you?"

Dorothy hesitated. "I dared not, Mistress. I feared that bringing it here might corrupt the purity of your magic. Even a single grain of that soil felt... alive, as if it breathed darkness."

The Grand Witch slowly shook her head, setting her bowl aside with a faint clink. "You come here to ask about the Ruins," she said, her tone laced with quiet reproach, "and yet you do not bring me the evidence. What were you thinking, Dorothy? Tsk, tsk..."

Dorothy lowered her gaze even further, her cheeks burning as she was reprimanded like a five year old. This was the reason she had run away from here in the first place, "Forgive me, Mistress. I only wished to protect this place."

But the Grand Witch said nothing more. Her eyes drifted shut again, and the rocking chair began to creak gently, as the Witch seemed to be deep in thought.

Taking her chance, Dorothy then continued," Mistress. Recently, I met an interesting person. Someone who... knows ancient magic."

"What is so interesting about that? There are many who know ancient magic. Just because you were a poor student when it came to history..." The Grand Witch asked with a lazy smile, not the least bit interested.

But this time Dororthy did not waste time and she said hurriedly, " The girl looks like Ember."