Chapter 6: Retaliation
Ariadne
She gaped her mouth and stood there frozen as many questions flowed her brain that needed answers right away. Fred and Iron held their hostages while pointing their black-twelve-inches long canes on their necks.
"Fools!" Enchantress' eyes flared as they changed into pure grey. There was a moment of silence until Iron and Fred chuckled breaking it.
"Was that the enchanted powers of Enchantress?" The word enchantress vibrated inside the room,"Woah, powerful!" Iron mused sarcastically while he held Colleen in his grip firmly.
"Ariadne, was it?" Fred moved his eyes at her direction, his voice was deep and serious now.
"Yes. What do you want from us?"
"Just you," Iron butted in.
"Then, what do you want from me?"
"Josephine has her interests on you," Fred said, firming his grip on the enraged Enchantress who seems like summoning for something.
"I thought you were up for the book?" Ariadne shot a glare at Colleen's gaze who looked so helpless in the grip of the red-headed man. The black wizards only snorted in response.
"Why would we get interested in the book? Opening Barnania is only a fool's desire." Fred chuckled softly.
"Aren't you two going to save Joreyna, your Queen's beloved child?"
The wizards stared at each other and laughed even harder.
"She needs no saving." Iron steadied his grip on his hostage who had tried wriggling.
She still don't get the reason behind the defeat of these two powerful witches who are now powerless to defend themselves against these wizards.
She decided to shoot a ball of red light into Iron's direction yet the spell she casted only melted as soon as it would hit him. She saw it, purple mists covered both Fred and Iron's bodies, John's prowess of negating any magical powers is protecting them.
"The powers of John? So you, you experimented him?" She whispered to herself but the whisper was audible enough to be heard.
"How wise of you?" Iron let out smirk.
"That was his mother's demands, and it turned out great," Fred added, his face returning stern.
"Then, why haven't you used it in the previous battle?"
They eyed each other and shrugged.
"None of your business," they said in unison.
The door of the dungeon slammed open with a loud thud revealing two ferocious jaguars with glinting red eyes full of concern for their master's captivity, the beasts stormed the room baring their fangs and jumping into the wizards at the same time. The wizards let go of the witches and shot green and red streak of lights to the jumping beasts. The spell did hit them, sending them off away in the process, the beasts let out a soft wail before they disintegrated. Fred faced Enchantress who sheepishly smiled at him, Fred readied his cane and took his stance.
"Shall we kill them?" Colleen invited after being freed from the choking grip of her captor.
Ariadne stayed behind the mirror, watching the scene unfolds. She moves her eyes around warily and saw the ripples of portals on the floor and the rising jaguars in it. There were at least twenty red-eyed jaguars in the room now and they've started attacking the wizards who took turns disintegrating the charging beasts. A jaguar attacked Iron from behind and almost shredded his black cloak into pieces, luckily he'd managed to poke its eyes out.
Ariadne saw Enchantress picked the book from the floor and held it in her hand.
"We need to go," Enchantress commanded.
"Aren't we going to let them pay?" Colleen's eyes flared in mischief.
Enchantress eyes glared into Colleen's sternly.
"I told you to don't." Colleen snapped.
"Then let's go."
Ariadne moved from behind the mirror and ran to the witches.
They are about to jump into one of the swirling portals when purple fogs consumed the room, a vial was opened in Fred's hand which emits the purple fogs. The manas inside the room are negated.
"Fools!" Enchantress yelled in rage.
The jaguars slowly disintegrate leaving only the originals which are now lying and catching their breaths on the floor.
"It is now a fair fight, no magical powers, no cats, oh I hate cats." Fred said from behind the purple fogs.
"Not fair then, it is three on two." Ariadne squeaked.
The mirror glowed from the center, it illuminates golden lights and the fogs are being drawn into it clearing the room from the invading purple mists.
Ariadne saw Aishah's face appeared in the mirror.
"Enchantress?! You there?" She called while combing her messy hair. She was sitting on a brown softy looking chair and sitting cross-legged on her back was a blonde boy holding a rectangular device and on his lap lies a black cute cat.
A green streak of light shot the mirror but it only get devoured by it.
"Aishah, what was it?" Enchantress called back, appearing and disappearing after the one by one-shots from Fred's cane.
"We'll deal with them." Colleen offered.
Enchantress appeared at the center, she shot a final curse at Fred but Fred evaded it and the golden beacon of light hit the wall, leaving it with a large hole and traces of golden acid-like dew. She touched the mirror and they vanished. The four of them were left in the room, Ariadne and Colleen faced the black wizards.
"So back on two on two again?" Iron spoke. The four of them exchanged cold stares.
"It seems you don't have anything up on your sleeves, am I right?" Colleen retorted.
"Either we have nothing or we have something, we're getting Ariadne." Fred shot a red streak of light, it hit Colleen on the shoulder. Colleen staggered and touched her hurt shoulder.
"What was that?" Colleen sounded forfeited, her voice could be heard traces of fear.
"Are you intimidated rogue witch?" Iron mocked her.
Ariadne summoned her willpower and waved her hand, a red streak of light appeared hitting Iron's chest but it got vanished again as it got to hit him.
"Got nothing, huh?" Iron smirked.
Fred has continued shooting the witch with red beacons of light and hitting her continuously. Colleen was unable to move, like she got frozen in time. She was frozen like a mannequin beside the wall.
"Stop it!" Ariadne shouted, her voice was full of concern for her master.
"We will, if you surrender yourself with us." Fred shot another bolt of red light knocking Colleen aside. The witch crumbled on the floor still immobilized.
"I said stop it!" Ariadne's voice vibrated inside the room, the room shook like an earthquake has just hit it.
"So this is the reason why Josephine had desired of getting you," Fred pointed his cane at her direction and shot her with a bolt of red light. She staggered. Crimson light covered her body, she levitated from the floor. Red swirling mists covered her body, turning her green hooded cloak into a magnificent red one, time slowed down, a red bolt of light hit her head, everything spun, she felt light-headed and dizzy. Soon then she realized, she'd blacked out.