Seemingly undisturbed by the croaking, Ela giggles and reaches into her pocket, revealing a slimy toad. 'It's not me croaking. It's Todd, my familiar. He's a toad!' Ela exclaims and rubs her nose against his as though it's the cutest pet ever.
Suppressing a cringe at the peculiar sight that Ela shares with her toad, I furrow my brow. ‘So, you all want to live here in Shadow Crest?’ I ask, momentarily wondering if the unusual request was a figment of my imagination.
The witches nod in agreement. Their expressions are of hope, except for Yiselda, who retains a thoughtful demeanour. 'I'm afraid I won't be able to stay,' Yiselda reveals with a touch of regret. 'The four girls would be the only ones residing here. Perhaps if the other packs see that we can coexist peacefully in this pack with you, they will rethink their ideas about witches and allow us to live freely without fear of them hunting us?' she suggests, laying out a vision for a harmonious coexistence.
I rub my chin, considering the unusual offer at hand. 'This is a significant decision that Nina and I can’t make in this moment. Tomorrow, we'll have a meeting and seek counsel from our elders,’ I inform her, recognizing the significance of their situation. 'We would appreciate that, Alpha Magnus,’ Yiselda nods with appreciation.
Curiosity gets the better of me, and I can’t help but ask, 'Why wouldn't you be able to stay, Yiselda?'
Yiselda blinks a few times, straightening her back and shoulders. 'The Covenstead we live in is more than just a house. We have creatures and beings that have been sealed inside and can never be released. One of us must remain at the Covenstead to ensure that the ward spells are never removed,’ she explains, revealing the intricate responsibilities tethered to their dwelling.
'What kind of beings are they?' I press, curious about the mysterious nature of these creatures.
Yiselda purses her lips before replying, 'Creatures you hope you'll never meet—the darkest beings you can envision. Grimghouls and Shadow Reapers are beings from your deepest, darkest nightmares, amongst other creatures. It would be like opening Pandora's box if they were set free. Because of this, it became the name of our Covenstead.'
'Your home is known as Pandora's Box?' I grimace.
Fern, Ela, Ria, and Lilac chuckle, finding amusement in my reaction.
'Yes, if only your species could understand that witches are here to protect everyone, to keep the world free of demons and dark forces. We must keep anyone who wants to bring us harm to this world locked up by having wards and spells in place. We used to also create potions to help heal the sick many years ago and would like to once again have these potions accessible to them,' Yiselda adds, shedding light on the crucial role witches played in our world.
'Won’t you be lonely staying in Pandora’s Box?' Nina asks, her voice carrying a note of sympathy for Yiselda.
Yiselda chuckles, a sound that holds both amusement and a touch of resignation. 'I wish. But unfortunately, the vampire king never shuts up. I've already put up with him for a few centuries. Fern, Ela, Ria, and Lilac can also visit me anytime. They can teleport to Pandora’s Box easily enough each day if they want to,’ Yiselda replies.
‘Vampire King?’ I mind-link to Nina, seeking to share my confusion and intrigue.
‘Never knew vampires existed, let alone a king?’ She mind-links back, her thoughts mirroring my own bewilderment.
‘I’m not sure how to feel about all this,’ I confess through the mind-link, grappling with the idea of vampires and other creatures living in Pandora's box, as well as the witches wanting to live here in our pack.
‘Me neither. It’s very unexpected, but Yiselda and her sisters seem nice enough, so let’s have that meeting tomorrow and see how we all feel about the idea then,’ Nina suggests through our mind-link.
Yiselda clasps her hands together, her eyes gleaming with sincerity. 'However, enough with Pandora's Box. We want to invite Nina and May to become our sisters and join our coven. Having us join also means that our responsibility will be to protect and keep each other safe in times of peril.’
I raise a brow at Yiselda, the implications of her proposition sinking in. ‘But Nina and May are part of the Shadow Crest pack.’
Yiselda smiles, tilting her chin up with a regal air. ‘Because they are half-witch and half-wolf, they can be part of both. This would also unify us as one prominent coven or, as you call it, a pack.’
Nina takes my hand, a silent affirmation of her connection to both worlds, and smiles at Yiselda. ‘At tomorrow's meeting, we will discuss it and come to a decision then. In the meantime, let’s get to know each other a little better and roast some marshmallows?' Nina proposes, eager to learn more about these mysterious witches.
Fern, Ria, Ela, and Lilac smile and nod at Yiselda with pleading looks.
‘Very well then,’ Yiselda agrees.
Roasting marshmallows over the fire, Yiselda enchants the night with her magical powers, putting on a mesmerizing performance. We watch in awe as she manipulates the flames into a little bird, a creature struggling to soar like its siblings. The story unfolds as the persistent little bird, undeterred by its initial challenges, eventually triumphs and soars past its companions. We applaud Yiselda for the charming and metaphorical tale reflecting resilience and determination.
Yiselda stands and smiles at us. 'Thank you for your kindness, but we must depart. We'll return here at midnight tomorrow,' she announces, and we watch curiously as she draws a circle on the ground and then a star within it. Picking up five stones from around us, she places one at each point of the star.
The circle suddenly lights up with a blue flash of ethereal light. Fern, Ela, Ria, and Lilac all casually step into the circle and vanish. Yiselda waves us goodbye before stepping into the circle, disappearing in the same mesmerizing fashion.
We stand there, mouths agape, staring at the now-quiet circle in disbelief.
‘Did they just create some kind of portal?’ Josie asks, stunned.
‘It seems so,’ Nina replies in awe.
Flint bites his lip and looks around. 'Well, that was just as entertaining to watch as the fire show Yiselda just created,' Flint chuckles.