The road to the witch region had always been long, but Isolde did not remember it being this tiring.
Not dangerous, not eerie—no, she would have preferred eerie. Eerie at least had the decency to announce itself with howling winds and ominous shadows. This road, however, stretched ahead like an innocent ribbon of dust and stone, deceptively calm.
Isolde already felt weary about the route.
Beside her, Maria trudged along with the exaggerated sigh of someone who believed the oracle paired up with her enemy.
"I am just saying," Maria began for the fifth time in the last hour, dragging her feet dramatically through the dirt, "Why didn't you just leave the archives in peace after you found out it was opened? What in the world were you thinking?"
Isolde tightened her grip on the cloth bundle resting against her lap, her fingers curling protectively over it. "I followed my instincts, okay," she said calmly, "and besides, what I did got us a little free from the shackles of those vampires; you should be thankful to me that your dreams of being free has been accomplished"
Maria stopped walking entirely and stared at her. "Yeah, I always wished to be free but not this state of free. From the look of things, we are one inch from death"
"The realms are not always on one's side, Maria."
Maria groaned and resumed walking, though now she kept glancing at the bundle in her hands and the roads behind them looking out for any signs of guards.
Isolde kept adjusting her dress, ensuring that the prophecy remained hidden beneath the folds of her worn cloak.
They walked in silence for a while, but Maria had never been particularly skilled at preserving silence.
"Do you think," she said slowly, "that if we pretend this is just a very long walk for leisure, we might arrive at our destination on time?"
Isolde did not look at her. "No."
"Not even a little?"
"No."
Maria sighed again. "You are quite silent today."
---------
They had been walking for hours when the road curved gently around a cluster of low hills, revealing a figure standing ahead.
Isolde's smile vanished instantly.
The figure was leaning casually against a tree, arms folded, posture relaxed. He straightened when he saw them, and even from a distance, Isolde recognized him.
Her stomach dropped. "Act normal," she murmured under her breath.
Maria immediately reacted. "Why would you say that unless there is a reason to act," she whispered loudly, squinting ahead. "Who is that? Why do you look like you swallowed a bee?"
"That," Isolde said grimly, "is Lucas." Maria blinked. "Lucas?"
"Yes." Isolde replied. "The Lucas?" Maria asked again
"Yes." Isolde replied again.
"The childhood friend of yours who loves prying?" Maria questioned her again.
"For the love of the oracle Maria, yes, he is the one." Isolde responded with a little strain in her voice.
Maria stared at her in horror. "Oh no."
"Oh yes." Isolde said with dry humor in her voice.
Lucas pushed himself off the tree and began walking toward them with an easy confidence that made Isolde want to turn around and sprint in the opposite direction.
Unfortunately, that would have been suspicious, very suspicious.
"Isolde?" Lucas called, his voice warm and surprised. "Is that really you?"
Isolde forced a smile onto her face, one that felt as stiff as dried paint. "Lucas," she replied, as though she had not just considered fleeing into the wilderness. "What a… coincidence."
Maria, standing beside her, attempted a smile of her own, though it came out looking more like a grimace.
Lucas stopped in front of them, his gaze flicking between their faces before settling on Isolde. There was something sharp behind his friendliness, something observant.
"I thought you were at the Luminai accord's," he said.
"We were..... yes, we were," Isolde replied quickly. Maria nodded so aggressively that it looked painful. "Very much at the accord's."
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "And now," Isolde continued, her voice just a little too smooth, "we are on leave."
"Leave," Lucas repeated. "Yes," Maria said, seizing the word, "Leave. Relaxation. Rest. You know how it is."
Lucas did not look like he knew how it was.
"In the Luminai accord's?" he asked mildly.
"Yes," Isolde said. "For servants or should I say for witches?" he said
"Yes." Isolde replied.
Lucas tilted his head slightly, his expression thoughtful in a way that made Isolde deeply uncomfortable.
"That is interesting," he said slowly. "Because it is rare for servants and witches to be given leave."
Isolde's smile twitched.
"It is not rare," Maria said quickly. "It's just… uncommon." "Uncommon," Lucas echoed.
"Yes," Maria said with a dry laugh. "Very uncommon but not impossible. You do not work there so, you wouldn't know the norms there. Those vampires always make spontaneous decision."
Lucas's gaze sharpened. "Leave...…. for low-ranking servants." Isolde felt Maria stiffen beside her.
There was a brief, terrible silence. Isolde's mind raced. "Promotions," she said abruptly.
Maria blinked. "What?" "Promotions." Isolde repeated, her voice steadier now. "We were given promotions."
Maria stared at her, then nodded as though this made perfect sense. "Yes. We were Promoted. Highly promoted."
Lucas looked at them both with more suspicion in his gaze because what they were saying was never heard of.
"And you were given leave immediately after?" he asked. "Of course, we were," Isolde said.
"Why?" Lucas questioned.
Isolde opened her mouth but said nothing. Maria stepped in immediately. "Because they trust us," she said, her tone so earnest.
Lucas blinked. "They said." Maria continued, now fully committed, "you two have worked so hard, please go rest, do not worry about anything."
Lucas stared at her. Isolde tired about how things were turning out closed her eyes briefly and massaged her forehead with her palm tiredly.
"This is not going well." she muttered to herself.
Lucas let out a small laugh, though there was no real amusement in it. "You are lying."
Maria gasped. "How dare you—." "You are terrible liars," Lucas said calmly.
Maria's outrage deflated instantly. "Oh."
Isolde straightened slightly, her grip tightening on her cloak. "We are not lying."
Lucas's gaze dropped briefly to her hands, lingering just a fraction too long. Then, suspicion flickered in his eyes.
"Why are you really here?" he asked quietly.
The air grew tense with this question and Isolde knew that there was no way he will let her go without drawing answers from her.
Isolde sighed deeply then met his gaze, forcing herself to remain calm. "We are going home."
Lucas studied her for a long moment then he replied, "Finally, a truthful answer but not what I expected. I expect more truth."
Maria, now weary of the never-ending questions from Lucas, suddenly clapped her hands together. "Well! This has been lovely, truly, but we should continue walking because we are very tired and also extremely hungry and possibly dying."
Lucas did not move. "Move," Maria added, nudging him gently.
Lucas sighed, stepping aside at last. "Be careful," he said, his tone quieter now. "There are patrols on the road."
Isolde's heart skipped.
"Patrols?" she repeated. "Palace guards," Lucas said. "It seems they are searching for someone."
Isolde felt a chill run through her. Maria swallowed. "Someone?"
"A witch," Lucas said. "Or so they claim."
Isolde forced herself not to react. "Thank you," she said simply.
Lucas nodded, though his eyes lingered on them a moment longer before he stepped back.
Then, they walked away without looking back
"That," Maria said after few minutes, "was a disaster."
"Yes." Isolde said lazily. Maria groaned. "We are surely going to get caught."
---
They left the road before sunset. The woods welcomed them with a quiet that felt both comforting and unnerving, the trees standing tall and ancient, their branches whispering secrets to the wind.
Maria looked around nervously. "I do not like this."
"You are always afraid of everything, Maria. Sometimes, take risk and enjoy this short life." Isolde said to Maria shaking her head at Maria's nervousness.
They found a small clearing to rest, the ground soft with fallen leaves. Isolde sat carefully, placing the bundle of clothes in her lap once more.
For a moment, there was peace. Then, the sounds of footsteps echoed in the silence of the woods.
Maria froze immediately and Isolde's head snapped up. Then, they heard voices. The voices echoed faintly through the trees.
"…search the area—"
"…orders from the palace—"
Maria grabbed Isolde's arm in fear at the recognition of those orders. "Guards." Isolde's heart pounded.
She pulled the bundle of her clothes closer to her chest, her breath shallow as the voices drew nearer. Suddenly, the air shifted.
The sounds of the forest seemed to dull, as though wrapped in something soft and invisible.
Maria blinked. "Do you feel that?" Isolde nodded slowly.
The guards passed by without stopping, their footsteps fading into the distance.
Maria exhaled shakily. "I love the oracle, for once, it helped us." Isolde allowed herself a small smile. "So do I."
---
They slept poorly that night, waking at every rustle and whisper of wind.
By morning, they were exhausted. By afternoon and throughout the evening, they were irritable and kept arguing.
"I told you we should have brought more food," Maria snapped.
"I told you to carry some," Isolde replied.
"I thought you had it!"
"I did not!"
Maria threw her hands in the air. "This is how people die!"
"This is how people learn."
"I do not want to learn!"
Isolde almost laughed.
---
Days later, when the land began to change and the air grew thick with the familiar scent of herbs and smoke, Isolde felt something loosen in her chest.
They had reached the witch region, their home. The relief was short-lived.
Their village stood ahead, quiet and worn, the houses leaning slightly on the verge of collapsing.
Isolde's house—if it could still be called that—was worse. The roof was sagged. The walls were cracked while the door hung slightly off its hinges.
Maria stared at it. "You live here?"
"I did." Isolde replied. Maria sighed. "We deserve better after all our sufferings."
"Perhaps one day, the oracle will be kind to us."
They stepped inside. Dust greeted them like an old friend.
Isolde closed the door behind them. They started coughing vehemently because of the intensity of the dust, their heart finally, finally beginning to slow.
They were home but still in hiding.