Chapter 41 The witch

Erica sat on the reclining chair beside Beatrice's bedside, the heart monitor beeping at intervals. Her eyes were still tight shut, but her breathing was steadier than last night. The doctor said it was a miracle she survived at all. The wolfsbane poison had already poisoned her heart by the time she reached them. They had to keep her alive by keeping the heart working with tons of electric shocks.

Erica's eyes were shut by now, she was so tired, though she didn't realize it until she sat down on the reclining chair. It was so comfortable that she fell asleep in minutes. Loki also was out in the far corner of the room.

However, what she felt tired her out, was arguing with Loki about staying here. She'd stayed adamant even though all the points he made were all logical. She didn't like his logic at all. When he would give in, it was because both of them were too exhausted to even move out of the hospital. They both slept with Beatrice the entire night.

Erica's dream wasn't as disturbing as she'd expected it would be. The wolf she killed didn't come to haunt her, nor did she relive her past life. Her dreams were more attached to her fear of the future. It was all about her not being strong enough to save her friends. However this time, her mother appeared to her in the dream to tell her it was all okay.

She was enjoying the reunion with her mother when the silliest thing happened. Loki'd barged into their room and he started pointing a flashlight in her face. She wanted to lunge at him in anger, but she jerked instead, almost falling off her reclining chair.

"Good morning," a voice said beside her. It was Loki's lovingly annoying voice.

"What?" she said, snickering at him.

"I said good morning," he repeated. "Did you wake up on the wrong side of the chair?"

"Oh shut up," she replied. "Good morning to you too."

"Classic," he said, scoffing.

The brightness of the morning was literally in her face, so she was shielding her eyes from it and the stupid Driver kept on spreading the curtains open, filling the room with more brightness. "Ugh," she growled in annoyance.

Loki didn't even look at her twice. She wanted to retort something but her phone stopped her from speaking. She pulled it out of her pocket to realize it was Vanessa.

"Hello," she said, in a tired tone.

"Thank the moon," she exhaled. "Your majesty?" then Erica heard whispering, "Yes, she is alive."

Erica smiled, "Hope you were able to get the car home yesterday."

"Most definitely," she said as she was wrestling with someone over the phone. "No… no… if you want to speak to her, you wait," she whispered again.

"Is that Candice?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Vanessa replied. "We just wanted to know if you are okay."

"I am… I will be home soon," she said. "I will see you later. And thanks for yesterday."

"Ah," she heard Candice echo from behind.

"Your majesty," Vanessa said.

"Bye."

Loki was grinning as she got off the phone.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing, when are we leaving?" he asked.

Before she could answer, her phone rang again. This time, it was Reynolds.

She picked up the call and she heard an earful from her Reynolds' hen she told him it was Beatrice, he paused and claimed he wanted to start coming. She managed to pester him to stay, using tomorrow's meeting as an excuse.

When she got off her phone, Loki was standing over Beatrice and staring blankly at her. A sensation of jealousy washed over her and for a moment she wanted him to stare at her like that. She got up from her chair and tapped him.

"Hey," he said.

"We should leave," she said.

A soft knock landed on their ward's door. Erica half expected it to be Nathaniel. She clicked open the door but instead of Nath, it was a short old woman standing at the door. A cruel and unsettling smile on her face.

"Uhh. Who are you?" she began. "Did you miss your ward? I can help you get the nurse. " she held her hand to help the old woman walk out, trying her best to smile.

Erica didn't know she'd developed a soft spot for old people, but not seeing her parents grow old made her a little apprehensive towards them.

The old woman looked at her with her uncannily scary smile. "The Luna is back," she laughed. "Can you shift and let me enter? I need to speak to the demon too," she said.

She jerked back instinctively. The woman walked in, leaning on an ancient-looking walking stick. She was dressed in a black silk gown and she had a series of beads on her wrist. On her forehead, was a black symbol that Erica had never seen before.

"Erica?" Loki called from behind with concern.

"The demon and the Luna," she said, her voice raspy and barely audible like someone put a snake hiss two volumes up.

"Who are you?" Erica repeated.

"Who I am matters not." She smiled. "What matters is what I can do for you."

"I will not ask again," Erica replied, her claws and fangs on the ready. Whatever the old woman was, she could sense it was bad news.

She shook her head. "You are as feisty as I was told." she smiled. "My name is Shannon. I am what you call a witch… a diviner to be precise." She said.

Erica had never seen a witch before, she looked at her from head to toe. She matched the description they'd given her as a kid. Though she was cautious of the woman, she couldn't help but smile.

The moment she finished talking, Loki was in between them. "Why are you here?"

She broke into hysterical laughter, "To tell your future, of course. War awaits you, Luna. And your enemies are closer than you think."