"Your Highness, are you sure you are not hurt?" Dorothy Green asked Prince Zen as she walked along the broken path.
Prince Zen shook his head and replied calmly, "I am alright, Miss Dorothy. Thank you for your concern."
The great witch nodded, "Then I am thankful. I did expect obstacles closer to the Grand Witch’s home, but I didn’t think she would place them as far as the entrance to the enchanted forest. If I had known, I would have been more careful..."
"It is just a minor gash, Great Witch. You do not need to worry," Prince Zen said as he continued to walk ahead through the forest, his senses on high alert.
Even though he had assured the Great Witch that he was fine, he did not like that he had been so easily ambushed. His pride and instincts both stirred uneasily at the thought. Even though logically he knew that it was magic, but not being able to sense it was also a kind of failure on his part.
Just like now, as they moved deeper into the forest and the air grew heavier, he could detect the faint traces of magic. Which meant he would have to be even more alert in the future.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, his senses sharpened. A strange scent drifted to him... and he slowed his pace, his eyes narrowing as he tilted his head slightly, catching the faintest hint of movement.
Without hesitation, he stepped in front of the Great Witch, his body tense and alert.
Luckily, the moment he moved, a small arrow whizzed past, striking a tree trunk behind them with a sharp thud, barely missing him by a few millimetres. The sudden sound made the witch gasp as she cried out in alarm. "Your Highness!"
Without moving, Zen narrowed his eyes and breathed in slowly, while assuring the witch," I am unhurt, Miss Dorothy...."
"What brings you here, Alpha Prince Zen? This is the Witch’s territory."
The sound had Prince Zen freeze and he whipped his head from one side to the other looking for the person to make the sound.
Before the witch could respond, a deep and distorted voice echoed through the trees
"What brings you here, Alpha Prince Zen? This is the Witch’s territory. Never expected a werewolf to come here."
The sound came from everywhere and nowhere. Zen froze as his eyes swept through the trees looking for the source of the voice. Then came laughter as the voice spoke again, "What are you looking for? Are you looking for me, Alpha Prince Zen? But I am formless... I am magic." The voice paused and then continued, "And you, Alpha Prince, are not welcome here."
The last word carried a pulse that made the ground tremble. Before Zen could react, several more arrows tore through the air each tipped with a faint light.
"Down!" Zen shouted, grabbing the old witch by the arm and pulling her to the ground. The arrows sliced through the air above them, hitting the trees with a sharp series of cracks.
The great witch hurriedly pushed Zen away and then knelt on the ground before saying in a low voice, "Stay low, Your Highness!" She then pressed her forehead to the ground and said in a low voice, "We are here to seek assistance from the Grand Witch! Please guide us!"
For a moment, everything stilled. The forest and the voice grew eerily silent. Even the air seemed to hold its breath.
Then the voice spoke again, colder than before. "Dorothy Green... I did not expect to see you return. Since when did you need to talk to the master? Weren’t you strong enough before? Aren’t you the Great Witch now? Only a step lower than the Grand witch?"
Dorothy kept her head bowed and winced as she heard the words before speaking in a tone full of sincerity, "That was my youthful folly. I thought I could defy her, but I was wrong. This time, I beg of you to grant me a meeting."
There was a long pause. Then came the reply, dripping with disdain. "My Mistress doesn’t wish to see you. Leave."
The word echoed like a command, shaking the branches above them. The next instant, another volley of arrows shot toward them, faster and sharper than before.
Dorothy didn’t move this time. She kept her head bowed, her lips moving in silent plea.
Zen, realising she wouldn’t react, moved on instinct. He lunged forward, wrapped an arm around the older woman’s shoulders and turned his back toward the incoming arrows, blocking her from being hit by them...
Three sharp impacts followed- one after another. Zen’s body jerked slightly as the arrows buried deep into his back, piercing through the thin armor he wore beneath his clothes. His breath hitched, but he stayed in front of the witch, in case she would be attacked again.
"Your Highness!" The witch screamed as her eyes widened in horror.
The formless voice chuckled again, low and filled with contempt.
"This is why I hate wolves," it said, almost with amusement. "So loyal. So foolish. When she was willing to take her punishment, then why did you have to block it for her?"
Even as the voice spoke, the arrows buried in his back seemed to fall off on their own accord and Zen realised that he was already healing from the piercings. He frowned. What was going on? How did those arrows fall off so easily?
But before he could question the witch or anyone else, the voice continued," Come on Dorothy. Take this Prince to the Mistress. He is quite a curious one... for someone carrying traces of black magic on him..."
At that moment, even as the path cleared for both the great witch and Prince Zen to pass through, both seemed to have gone still. What did it mean that he carried traces of black magic. But before either could ask, the ground below them opened...