Why does everyone know more than me?

Orion and I sat there for a while when I heard a rustle by the bushes. The startling sound continued to be heard but nothing appeared. We were not unguarded but we also did not expect anything to appear just yet.

"Watch out!" Orion shouted and a branch suddenly fired upon him. He evaded and was flung back when another from behind and from both the sides charged at him at once; he very skillfully avoided getting hit from any of them.

"Not Bad! But it is to be expected of the knight chosen to protect the heir of such a powerful Kingdom."

"Who are you?" Orion pointed his blade at the figure approaching us as he stood in front of me. I peeked from behind him at the one cloaked and realized who it was. I told him that I have seen her before. I remember her very well after the collision we had the other day while I was chasing the shadow. I asked Orion to ease up since she hardly intended anything evil. "She means no harm, Orion. At least not now." I said in an undertone.

He looked at me and mouthed the words 'Trust No one' and I gave him an assuring look.

"You should trust no one but yourself. But she is right, trust her senses." She unveiled her face, "I mean no harm. I am here to talk and if I could- lead you to light."

Orion lowered his blades as she went around us and sat where we did before. She gestured us to do the same and we did. Somehow I had no admonition against her and she seemed to be aware of it. She looked at me with an affectionate expression on her face but I could not make anything of it. Why was such an expression directed towards me? She had too many mysteries and somehow I felt like quite a few were related to me in some way.

"You came alive out of something you cannot fathom. Be thankful you are breathing." She said to me. "I hope you now know who your real enemy is."

"I believe I do." I replied.

"Forgive me. I could have saved you but this was the only way for you to learn the truth."

"I'm still far away from truth. Everything had only added to the questions I was searching the answers for."

"Let me answer some for you. I hope these answers will guide you to the answers you are yet to find," she said and took a deep breath, " Go on. Ask what you want."

"Start with yourself. Who are you? How do you know me?" I couldn't hold it in any longer.

"I am Althea. As you already know, I am a Witch. Back when Mystics opened their gates for witches, my ancestors were one of the many clans who migrated to the land. But that land already belonged to mages who did not like this new addition. For ages, there had been this conflict that went on between Witches and Mages who had still not found peace within themselves. But the new King, Everard, when came to throne he realized that the conflict needs to end so he created a piece of magic that could only be performed by uniting a witch and a mage for the sake of which these both needed to come together and cooperate. It was a powerful magic, you see. It could do wonders.

Soon both the communities started coming together and harmony was found. But we are afraid that there's a group of mages that had formed a secret association and are preparing to eliminate the witches- every single one of them. It is headed by Alatar, an ancient and very powerful mage. He is the one you faced today."

"I knew I couldn't win. He was too powerful. I don't know why he was holding back." Now that I take time to think about it, he constantly proposed that I should submit myself rather than to fight even though he knew well that he would not have lost.

"Yes. You could have easily lost had he intended. Alatar holds an ability-"

"To steal magical abilities," I couldn't help but murmur to myself. The kind of magic that a person can perform depends on his blood. The descents of the Great Five Kingdoms were limited to only a certain kind of magic each to create an equality between the Kingdoms and assure that they do no engage in wars in future. But Alatar with his twisted form of magic defied the rules that were set to ensure no single human grows too powerful.

"Yes. And by now he might already have collected forms of magic that he would not have known or able to learn otherwise. He could not get his hands on yours though, right?"

I told her I was saved somehow. She nodded and we fell silent.

What was about to come next? Would she ask me join her again? I was not sure I wanted to get involved in a war within a kingdom. We already had too much on our plates. I looked at Orion and he looked worried. His face was almost frowning and I could wonder why. He, out of all the people, I knew wouldn't stray from the main mission we came here to accomplish. He wouldn't, right?

"Orion-"

"We should fight!" Orion said with a determined look on his face. "Nyx. We cannot risk him winning this war. The Witches should not perish."

Althea smiled. She was clearly amused at my situation.

"Orion, what are you saying? You know we cannot afford to get involved in matters of other Kingdom and that too of grave ones as these. We'll only delay what's important to us."

"No, Nyx. This is important to us. To me and everyone else in our Kingdom."

I looked at him perplexed. He looked at me but did not try to answer anything. I saw how he was unwilling to tell me anything more than Althea did. But by the looks I understood, he definitely knew what I did not. Why is it that everyone's more informed than me?

Althea was content to hear him and looked at me to wait for my answer. But I wouldn't. Not unless they tell me.

Althea understood my hesitation and tried to quench me with more answers and things that I still had to know about myself.