Chapter 4

Fiona was breathing heavily. She wanted to faint. The Sage had brought them into a lion's den.

"Don't be stupid, big sister. I see you and your little kittens very clearly" she placed her hand on the rocky mound. The lock appeared within her hand as she lifted it up. "It seems you are looking for this" she chuckled.

"This girl has done nothing. You have to break the curse" the Sage panted.

"Her mother came to me, to bring her back" Srithi opened her hands like she had done nothing wrong.

"And the only way to bring her back is taking away her womanhood, her joy, a way of feeling loved? Srithi, you are evil" the Sage fumed at her.

"Oh sister, what kind of message are you passing to the younger generation? You speak highly of what should be shunned" she pointed a finger at the Sage's face.

"Shunned? We are talking about procreation" the Sage lamented.

"Is that spilling out from the mouth of someone who has no kids?" Srithi laughed and rubbed her belly.

"I haven't lost hope. And these couple here are not responsible for our infertility" the Sage kept breathing heavily.

"I nearly forget. We have a score to settle but you are now covering it up by interceding for these kids, isn't it? I will end everything right now" she wrapped her fingers around the lock and started chanting intensely.

"Srithi, stop. This girl has done nothing. She is innocent!!" the Sage yelled but Srithi didn't stop.

The lock caught fire in her hand and it disappeared.

"Now, everything is solved. No going back" she laughed.

"You did this to an innocent girl. She is just seventeen for goodness sake" the Sage grunted bitterly.

"Shut up. It's time for your judgement as you have decided to walk into my abode deliberately" she made a fist and tightened it slowly. "Why do you hate me so much, sister?" she asked.

"I do not hate you. This is what I was fighting against. I didn't want you to become a monster and I failed" the Sage groaned in pain, holding on to her own neck.

"I am not a monster, you are bitter because you can't wield your own power" she raised up her hand above her head.

The Sage was lifted off the ground hanging in the air.

"I will never use my power this way" the Sage said forcefully.

Srithi threw her hand in the air and the Sage was thrown off.

"I am afraid the woman who brought us here is out of commission. We need to run" Pike grabbed Fiona's hand and rushed to the entrance. They couldn't get out. They kept hitting an invisible wall.

Srithi walked slowly to them.

"She didn't tell you?" she chuckled. "You can only leave through the way you came in" she laughed.

"Please, just let us go. We will never cross your path anymore" Pike begged fervently.

"Yes, you are not going to cross my path anymore because you are already dead" she said and turned to Fiona. "So you are seventeen, I remember when I was at that age, no one wanted me" Srithi cried but it was fake as she later started laughing.

"No one wanted me too. They called me the marked" Fiona had mustered up some courage.

"But you have Pike. I didn't have Pike" she nodded. "I wanted a perfect body like yours, long hair, tall and slim, great sweet voice. Subtle lips. You have it all, I never had any of it. I was just ugly enough to scare everyone away. I used to feel bad until I learned how to use that to my advantage" she stared at Fiona wickedly.

"Srithi or whatever you are called. Go on. Kill me. That is what you want, right? I will die gladly because I know you will never have what I have. Beauty and a loving Pike" she gasped, closed her eyes and drifted her head back.

"I will have all what you have, you should know that. Once I kill you,I will possess your body and seduce your Pike. I will be better than you because I will take him into my body" she mocked her.

"You will never have me. Once she dies,I will be dead, too" Pike retorted.

"Fine by me" she looked at her right hand then the left. "Will you prefer to be razed by fire to drowning in water? A lot of people chose to drown in water, having that option is a privilege" she laughed at them.

The Sage walked slowly behind her. She hit her head from behind with a stone.

Srithi held the back of her head with one of her hands and turned slowly to face the Sage.

"What have you done? Do you want to kill me?" she asked slowly writhing in pain.

"I'm sorry sister but you deserve it" the Sage held on to her to stop her from falling hard to the floor. She guided her on to her knee then laid her on her side.

"I'm dying? Will you watch me dying?" she asked sadly.

"You gave me no choice" the Sage left her and joined Fiona and Pike. "Time to get back home" she muttered.

All of them were alerted by a sudden laughter. It was obviously Srithi's voice. They checked where she was lying down at once. She was no longer there.

"Do you think I am that easy to kill? You will need to try harder" Srithi said from their back.

They turned around and found her sitting down comfortably. There was nothing wrong with her.

She sprang up and hurried towards them.

"Hold on to me!!" the Sage cried out.

There was a sound of explosion similar to the one at the Sage's house. At once, Fiona found herself sitting down in the Sage's house. She was panting heavily. She looked around and saw the Sage too, out of breath.

"Where is Pike?" she asked immediately as she couldn't catch a glimpse of him.

"He is supposed to be here with us" the Sage replied weakly.

"Where is Pike?!" Fiona yelled.