Chapter 10
"The Witch"
Layla was for lack of a better word, annoyed. She stood outside the thatch hut belonging to the last person on Andros to ever use the Diminix power and already she wasn't off to a good start. She could have done something about it if it wasn't for the fact that she had already tried and had almost had her nose broken by the oak door slamming in her face by the woman inside.
"I know your in their! I just need the Diminix and I can leave!" Layla yelled at the woman inside, it was obvious that she could hear her, the walls of the hut where so thin the woman could probably hear every in take of breath
"If you don't come out I'll have to come in!" Layla shouted and was about to knock down the door when the door opened to show an extremely haggard looking woman with a face so full of anger it could turn the oceans of Andros into curdled milk. Just that face was enough to make Layla move out of the way and let the woman pass, but that didn't mean that she had let her go as Layla started following her. The woman walked into the forest surrounding her little hut and Layla followed, jumping over the same fallen trees, skipping across the same rivers. With each obstacle it looked like the woman was moving faster and faster until finally their was a large fallen tree that was at least twenty high just by its trunk that made Layla choke back a groan of annoyance as the woman broke into a sprint before taking a leap that made her fly into the air and right over the fallen trunk of the tree. Layla could hear the woman running though the thicket on the other side of the tree, this wasn't good, she couldn't loose her. Layla ran toward the trunk of the tree and jumped, grabbing onto the bark and letting her fingers dig into the rigid groves of the trunk and started to scramble over the curved, uneven surface.
Finally Layla managed to climb over the tree and jump onto the ground on the other side, the woman was no where to be found, but that didn't matter as she had left a trail of broken branches and muddy foot prints to follow, and Layla gladly accepted the path and followed it into a village filled with little thatch houses and some mud cottages. Layla looked around as she continued following the muddy foot prints to a run down mud cottage and pushed open the door to see the woman crouched over a man, his arm bent backward at the most horrifying angle
"Hey what are yo-" Layla was cut off as a petite, slightly plump woman walked over to her and shushed her
"Let Miss Ranine do her work in peace" the petite woman said
"If you need to talk to her please wait outside" the woman added and Layla huffed before turning around and walking out of the cottage, sitting down next to the door. She sat their for a while looking at the run down village with a frown on her face until she saw some kids kicking around a rock. Layla smiled but then quickly got up as one of them started crying. She ran over to the kid to see that the rock had hit hard enough to leave a cut on the child's inner leg
"Its alright" Layla said as she put a hand over the cut, the child wincing but Layla didn't let up as she called forth her magic, the water cleaning out the small cut and helping it heal. Once it was done Layla moved away and stood up
"You should all be very careful, I might not be here to help you next time" Layla said and the kids looked like they where about to say something when a voice came from behind her
"She's right kids, you need to keep yourselves safe and healthy, healers are a rare thing, if you get to hurt and were to far away we may not be able to get here in time to save you." It was the woman from earlier. The kids now looked scared and Layla turned back to them
"But that doesn't mean you shouldn't have fun. Just don't do anything you know will be bad" she smiled and the kids nodded before running off. Layla turned back to look at the women who was now studying her as Layla had been earlier
"If you want th Diminix then you're going to earn it" the woman said and Layla nodded her head
"I have no problem with that" and when the woman nodded her head she turned
"Good, We have lots of people to tend to today, follow me..." the woman trailed off but didn't ask for Layla's name as she started walking
"It's Layla" She said and the women sighed as she entered another house
"I'm Ranine" the woman put simply as she walked though the house and into the farthest room, Layla following behind her. Layla gasped and brought her hand up to her nose, the room smelt putrid, as if no one had cleaned it in days and the man on the bed looked horrible, covered in cuts and bruises with obviously broken bones the way his fingers twisted like fresh roots. Ranine sat next to his bed and pulled the blankets off to reveal a broken body that was twisted and torn and in various stages of healing
"W-what happened to him" Layla said as she tried not to gag as Ranine put her hands on the man's body, a dark glow coming from her hands as she surveyed the damage
"He's a mine worker. The mine collapsed and he was the only survivor, trapped under the rubble for five days." Ranine said as she beckoned Layla over and she slowly moved
"I need you to clean his wounds." she said and Layla almost hurled at the mention of it but Ranine only scowled
"Once you clean the wounds, take the blankets out and remove the chamber pot that should make the room more palatable for your child like smell" Ranine snapped at Layla, growing impatient as Layla nodded her head, walking over to the man and putting her hand on each of the wounds one by one and summoned the water. The man was so out of it that he didn't seem to register that his wound's where being cleaned as slowly Layla finished the task before she quickly grabbed the blankets and chamber put filled with yellow liquid and rushed as fast as she could out of the cottage without the liquid falling from the pot. Layla dropped the blanket outside and emptied the pot before using her magic to clean both, running her magic though each individual thread of the blanket in order to get the stench out of it and then doing the same with the chamber pot before she walked back into the room. Once she entered the room she sighed, the room really did smell better and Ranine was already starting to stitch up some of the worst wounds. When she looked back at Layla the irritation was also gone
"I have some herbs in my pack, I need you to grind them up" Ranine said as she continued stitching. Layla did as she was told, grabbing the pack and pulling out several herbs along with a mortar and pestle. Pushing the herbs down in to the heavy stone bowl Layla took the pestle and started grinding the herbs. She looked up at Ranine as she moved onto another wound and kept stitching, she was nothing like Layla had first thought of her. The fact that this woman, Ranine, could stomach the disgusting smell that had wafted out of the room in waves when the door was open and could stomach the blood and the way this man looked...it made Layla grow reverence for her. Layla would have never been able to do what she was doing. Becoming lost in thought Layla ground the herbs into a thick green paste
"That's good enough" Ranine said as she turned to look at Layla and she easily handed over the bowl and Ranine put the bowl down before she bent over and washed her hands in the bowl of water Layla now just noticed was next to her feet.
"If I may ask...Ranine, what was the glowing around your hands?" she asked and Ranine smiled as she looked up at Layla a mischievous glint in her eyes as she slowly sat back up, grabbing the heavy Mortar again, giving the herb paste another quick grind before removing the pestle and dipping her hands into the herbs, taking out a clump of the green paste.
"Magic" Ranine said just before she started to smear the green paste onto one of the wounds
"But you where healing him...you don't look like a fairy. How did you manage to do that?" Layla asked and Ranine turned her head, glaring at Layla who suddenly looked taken aback, but the glare quickly dissipated as Ranine continued putting the paste on the injured mans wounds.
"I'm not a fairy Layla, I'm a witch" she said as she finished putting the paste onto the mans wounds before standing up
"Come, we have to clean up and continue on" Ranine said as Layla nodded, picking up the bowl of water as Ranine grabbed the bag and put all her equipment back in and walked out of the house
"But how can you heal? I've never seen a witch heal before?" Layla said and Ranine smiled, actually smiled, and she looked amused at Layla's question
"All witches can heal, we just don't like showing it off. Gives us more of an edge when we kick fairy ass. If they don't expect us to heal, they don't expect us to come back now do they?" Renine said, her eye brow quirked which caused Layla to laugh
"No I guess not" Layla said and Ranine joined in on the laughter as they walked to another house with another one of the sick inside.
The day went by fast and soon the sun was setting Ranine was just finishing up the last tie on the finally bandage of a man who had broken his arm in a brawl two days ago, Ranine once finished then punched his injured arm, causing him to draw in a sharp breath
"next time don't wait so long to come to me, do you understand?!" it was more of a command then a question as the man nodded his head
"good. Lets go" Ranine said to Layla and quickly walked out of the house with Layla on her heels. They walked back though the forest slower then when they had ran though it earlier that day
"I never knew a witch could be...good" Layla said, smiling when she saw Ranine give her a sharp glance
"Where I come from I have never met a good witch...well there is this one that was a good witch but shes a fairy now" Layla said and saw Ranine shake her head
"Witch's aren't all bad Layla. We just have a different way of seeing things." She said simply
"The first witch's where healers, wise women who used herbs to heal and magic to saves lives. As the craft become more known more and more people started using it for dark deeds" Ranine said as she looked at Layla
"Though, I am glad that you aren't trying to kill me like most fairy's do when they hear I'm a witch" she said and Layla smiled
"Don't worry, I've had enough of fighting witches for a long time" Layla said and Ranine nodded
"Good. Maybe when you get back to your home you can try to explain we're not all bad" Ranine said and Layla smiled
"Its a promise" Layla said as she held out her hand, Ranine looked at it and then smiled as she reached out her own hand and shook
"Good, Now get going" Ranine said
"what? Wait, what about the Diminix!" Layla said as Ranine started walking
"You just got it" Ranine called back as she jumped up and landed on top of the twenty foot fallen log
"While you where helping me I was weaving the spell that would give you the Diminix wings." she said to Layla
"But, will it hold?" Layla whispered, she was supposed to learn now to summon her wings, not have them given to her by a spell. Ranine nodded her head
"Yes. I know it will" Ranine smiled
"No one on Andros has the Diminix naturally any more Layla. I learned gained my Diminix though a spell my teacher gave me, and my teacher her teacher before her for the last three generations. It will last because the spell is very complex, Only the fire that created the realms can break it as I have made sure to weave it into your winx" Ranine said and Layla looked up at her in surprise
"is that why you had me performing all those needless tasks with my magic" Layla asked and when Ranine smiled Layla felt slightly woozy
"You should have told me..." Layla whispered "How?" she asked, her eyes on the woman and Ranine smiled
"Another witch trick. If we have time to study a persons magic we can attune our own and weave our magic into the magic of others, its really risky, so for whatever reason you sought me out for the Diminix it better be worth it...and I didn't tell you because I wanted to test your heart. If you had evil intent the use of this power I would never have given it to you" Ranine said, her eyes now cold and her face stony
"You must be...very powerful to do this in such a short time" Layla said and Ranine slowly nodded her head as if contemplating what she was about to say
"...My mother, Belladonna, Taught me everything she and her sisters knew before I left" Ranine said and Layla paled
"Y-you're Belladonna's daughter" Layla whispered, the name of the ancestral witch caused shivers to go up and down her spine
"Ah, so you know her" Ranine smiled "I'm surprised, shes a monster" Ranine looked down at the ground
"Is she the threat that threatens your home?" Ranine asked, but Layla shook her head
"No. Do you have a daughter named Icy?" Layla asked and surprise sparked in Ranine's eyes, followed by fear, and then suspicion and distrust
"How do you know that name?" Ranine snapped at Layla, her left hand starting to glow with dark light and Layla quickly raised her hands in an attempt to explain but Ranine launched a bolt of dark magic at Layla, knocking her off her feet and into a tree. The blast was so strong Layla ended up coughing and wheezing as she slid down the bark of the tree, looking up at Ranine with watering eyes
"Get out of here...and If I ever see you again near me or my daughter I won't hesitate to destroy you!" Ranine hissed and then looked down as she heard a rustling in the bushes just before a white haired girl maybe five years old walked out crying
"Mommy!" the girl cried and then ended up flying up into the air, landing in Ranine's arms
"Icy what are you doing here!" Ranine said and Layla froze, this was Icy, before she became the evil conniving witch that she knew in her time. A thought flashed though Layla's mind, she could end all of this before it began, she could avoid the witch's taking the pixies, she could avoid them freeing Valtor. The thoughts rang so loud that when she looked up and saw Ranine cringe and move a step away, Layla thought that maybe Ranine had heard her thoughts some how, it wouldn't surprise her since she had ended up weaving magic into her winx, but instead Layla took a deep breath
"alright." she whispered as she took out the stone of memory from her pocket, it flashed blue as if knowing that Layla had managed to gain her Diminix. Layla looked at the gem as it started to buzz and vibrate. Layla looked back up, watching Ranine and the child Icy, saw their eyes go wide as sparkles filled the air, swirling around Layla and then once Layla blinked, in that second of darkness she was brought back to her own time. She was standing the the center of Mrs. Faragonda's office. To her right where Musa and Tecna, and to her left where Bloom, Stella and Flora. They where all silent as they looked at the aging head mistress
"I'm so glad you're back girls...and not a moment to late" the head mistress again, a grave look on her face
"whats wrong Mrs. Faragonda?" Bloom said, her eyes wide. Layla looked at the red haired princess she had grown to be friends with over all the years and then she looked back at Mrs. Faragonda
"You must get ready to leave"
"Why? We need a rest, we just got back!" Stella said and Mrs. Faragonda looked at them again
"You will have no time to rest Stella. The fate of another realm depends on you, all of you" Faragonda said, her hands shaking in what could only be thought of as worry
"Mrs. Faragonda...what's happening" Layla said as she took two steps toward the head mistress. Mrs. Faragonda closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and then another, and then another, and then she finally opened her eyes
"Another planet is in danger" Mrs. Faragonda said
"You must get their as soon as possible" she said and Flora said
"what's the realm Mrs. Faragonda? We can't go to the planet if we don't know where to go" Flora said and Faragonda looked at all the girls, one at a time meeting each set of eyes before saying
"We have been tracking Klarin's movements the best we could while you where gone, he has eaten four realm's in your absence, he is moving in a straight line, absorbing the magic of each realm he swallows" Faragonda said and then her eyes locked with Flora's and it was as if all the air in the room vanished
"No..." Flora whispered, her whole body suddenly shaking like a leaf
"No...Mrs. Faragonda you can't mean that he's...hes..." Flora sunk to her knee's looking up at Faragonda with eyes that practically begged for the words that she knew would come out of her mouth next would be a lie, but that begging, that hope in Flora's eyes vanished as Faragonda lowered her eyes
"He is headed straight for Linphea..." Faragonda whispered, and just like that Flora passed out, the entire world going black, It couldn't be true...her realm, the realm of Nature couldn't be next..., Flora could hear worried yells and she could feel someones arms wrap around her, but then even the sound disappeared as the concerned words of her friends turned to static at the same time her body went numb from the shock.