Singing and chants filled the space, accompanied by soft jingling sounds.
The bonfire created shadows that flickered to create the illusion of trees moving and colorful smoke spreading in the area came with the sweet scent of herbs.
Cassandra, Talia, and Axel approached the small clearing carefully and squatted behind a waist-tall bush to see what was going on there.
To their relief, there were no dragons or ogres, but women. More than a dozen women, all looking to be in their twenties or thirties. They sang and danced in a circle around the fire, their bodies swaying gracefully in the same rhythm, each with her own moves.
Bells around their ankles jingled softly, and as much as it seemed random, every few seconds the women would stomp in unison, causing bells to burst melodiously.
Talia's eyes widened when she realized how much flesh was exposed. Each woman had a loose string around her waist and two small patches of cloth dangling from there, barely enough to cover the buttocks and the intimate bush in front. Their breasts were bare, bouncing and swaying as the women danced.
Axel released a slow groan, and Talia glanced at him apprehensively. Was he having a seizure? He was blinking rapidly, and his face was so red that it looked like he will explode or pass out.
It took her a moment to realize that his senses were overstimulated with the allure of those women.
"I thought that as a werewolf, you saw plenty of naked people.", Talia said in a whisper.
Axel cleared his throat. "Yes, before and after the shift and not like this. Besides, I'm celibate not a eunuch!"
Talia stifled a giggle. Everything since Talia and Damon marked each other was gut-wrenching and Axel's comical predicament made Talia's tense nerves snap.
"You think it's funny?", he sneered, and he might look intimidating if not for the redness of his face.
Talia's shoulders shook from suppressed laughter.
"Shh!", Cassandra shushed them. If they were spotted like this, they will be seen as peepers, and that can't be a good thing.
"Who are you?", a stern voice came from behind, and Talia, Axel, and Cassandra froze.
The trio whipped their heads that way to see a slender woman with chocolate-colored skin. She had golden markings on her arms and face, and a golden cloth over her precious parts below the waistline.
Talia noticed that the woman didn't have bells around her ankles, and the scent of herbs from the fire masked her scent. With all the singing, they didn't hear her approach. They were careless.
The woman crossed her arms under her bare breasts, giving them a lift and Axel swallowed audibly.
Talia stood up first and greeted the scarcely dressed woman. "My name is Talia. These are Axel and Cassandra. I apologize. Our intention was not to sneak up on you. We wanted to ensure there are no dangers before we approach you."
Talia stopped talking when she realized that there was no more singing and jingling around the bonfire, and she could feel many eyes on her back.
"Continue", the woman demanded.
Axel cleared his throat and put his hand on Talia's shoulder, silently telling her that he will take over. "I am Alpha Axel, from the Midnight Guardians pack. We are seeking witches. Are you one of them?"
The woman cocked an eyebrow. "Witches?"
Axel nodded while struggling mightily to maintain eye contact and not look at her two peaks that rose and fell with her breathing.
"Our friend was influenced by black runes, and we hope to find a way to dispel it.", Axel said and turned to Cassandra. 'Show her the parchment with runes', he said through the mind-link.
Cassandra shuffled to get the parchment from her backpack.
The woman's brows furrowed when she saw the writings.
"You are not from here.", she said flatly.
"No. We came from far away." Axel didn't want to mention the portal. He was still not sure if those were witches or just girls frolicking in the forest. And the fact that she didn't give them her name, or any other relevant information was rubbing him the wrong way. "Do you know of witches? If yes, can you point us in the right direction so we can be on our way?"
The woman ignored Axel's questions. She turned to look at the parchment that was in Cassandra's hand. "Where did you get that?"
"It was passed onto me from my teacher.", Cassandra responded.
"You do dark magic?", the woman asked stiffly.
Cassandra opened her mouth to respond and then closed it. She had a feeling that just responding 'yes' was not a wise move.
"I am the Oracle in the Midnight Guardians pack. I perform ceremonies and cast spells when needed."
"Dark magic?"
Cassandra swallowed hard. "We don't look at it as dark or white. It's just magic."
The woman turned to Talia. "And you? Are you also doing magic?"
Talia shook her head. "I don't know how to do magic. That's why we are here. The man who got affected by black runes is my lover. He was unconscious for three days and when he woke up, he was not himself. I need to find witches so I can get him back."
"Who cast dark magic on your lover?"
Talia gestured toward Cassandra and the woman's eyebrows shot up.
"And you are traveling together?"
"She is here to explain what she did. She is harmless.", Talia said.
"She uses black runes, and you call her harmless?"
"Her spells require preparations, and we are keeping an eye on her.", Talia responded.
"And she took away my powers.", Cassandra blurted out.
Talia gritted her teeth. Why was Cassandra talking?
The woman eyed Talia suspiciously. "You took away her powers? Didn't you say you don't do magic?"
"It's not the same. I don't need to draw diagrams or chant."
"Show me."
'Liseli', Talia called. 'We need something impressive and non-intimidating.'
'I'm on it', Liseli responded. 'Lift your hand.'
Talia's hand started glowing in silvery light and the woman looked at it with curiosity. Slowly, very slowly, the woman reached for Talia's hand and audible gasps came from behind but Talia didn't dare to turn and see what was going on there. She guessed that all women who were dancing gathered and were observing this interaction.
The woman's fingers touched the silvery light and her eyebrows shot up in surprise.
She flattened her palm and placed it in front of Talia's with only an inch between them, and the light flickered between their palms.
After a few long seconds, the woman lowered her hand. "Your power is pure."
Her lips lifted into a smile. "I am Cornelia, the priestess of the Silver Flame coven."
Talia relaxed a bit. Cornelia definitely approved, and she said that she belongs to a coven! "You are a witch?"
Cornelia nodded and gestured behind Talia, Axel, and Cassandra. "We all are. We will take you to the high priestess and she will decide what to do with you."
Talia turned to see more than a dozen women standing on the other side of the bush and observing them. Talia smiled and nodded in greeting, hoping that their curiosity was a sign they will be friendly.
Cassandra was reserved because her instincts told her they don't like her much due to the black runes business.
As for Axel, he was staring at his shoes like they were the most interesting thing he has ever seen.
See Cornelia's pic in the comments.
