CHAPTER 44: DUEL BETWEEN THE WITCHES

"He’s not going anywhere with you," Morgana said, her own power beginning to stir around her like invisible flames.

Elizabeth sighed dramatically. "Such stubbornness. You always were too attached to your little projects, Morgana."

Ladraella Coven witches and Ilumariti don’t see eye to eye, and Ladraella had openly challenged many of their witches to assert their dominance.

For many years, the leader of the council had come from the Illumariti Coven, and it made the Ladraella witches bitter and angry. So they had chosen to mess with the ones who they came across.

And Morgana was one of the important member of their Coven, highly powerful, wealthy and one of the top beauties in the empire, what better reasons would they require to mess with her.

Elizabeth chuckled and she looked around at the other coven members. "Perhaps we should simply take what we want and be done with it."

The other witches began to move closer, their hands glowing with the Origin power.

Jaenor could see Taeryn and Baren huddled together in fear, and Darian’s hand was on his sword, though they all knew weapons would be useless against so many Oirgin users.

"Wait," Katerina said, raising one hand. The other witches stopped moving.

"I have a better idea."

She looked at Morgana with cruel amusement. "You want to protect your little servant? Fine. Challenge me."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "A formal challenge? How... old-fashioned."

"The ancient codes allow it," Katerina continued.

"Single combat between sisters, winner takes all. If you win, Morgana, we’ll leave your precious refugees alone and go on our way. But if I win..."

She smiled that sharp-toothed smile again.

"The boy comes with us."

Morgana felt trapped.

She didn’t want them to find out about Jaenor and, more importantly, about those three. They would surely kill her and Darian and take all of them.

Now she had no choice but to fight her.

A formal challenge was dangerous—Katerina was known to be one of the most powerful witches in her coven. But it might be their only chance.

"And the others?" Morgana asked.

"If I lose, what happens to my other children?"

"Oh, they can go free," Katerina said with a wave of her hand.

"We only want the interesting one."

Jaenor started to speak, to tell them he wouldn’t let Morgana fight for him, but she gave him a sharp look that told him to stay silent.

"Very well," Morgana said, her voice steady despite the fear in her heart.

"I accept your challenge."

Katerina clapped her hands together with delight. "Wonderful! It’s been so long since I’ve had a proper duel."

The other witches formed a wide circle around the camp, their robes rustling like the wings of dark birds.

Jaenor, along with others, moved aside, and Darian was standing in front of them, with his sword in hand. He had no way of stopping this duel from happening.

Elizabeth stepped forward to act as the formal witness, as the ancient codes required.

"By the laws of sisterhood and the power of the Origin," she intoned, "let this challenge be witnessed and judged. The winner claims the prize; the loser accepts defeat with honor."

Morgana stepped into the center of the circle, her hands already beginning to glow with silver light.

Across from her, Katerina stretched like a cat preparing to pounce, dark energy crackling around her fingers.

"Begin," Elizabeth said.

And the battle between the two witches began, with Jaenor’s fate hanging in the balance.

-

In just a mere second, the group of teens and the witch and the knight had found themselves in a delicate situation. Morgana couldn’t understand why they instantly initiated a duel with her, and she could guess they just wanted to mess with her, but seeing how Katerina was eager to fight her made her suspicious.

Whatever they had in mind, she needs to quickly get this over with and try to get away from them for the time being.

Morgana raised her hands, and immediately flames danced around her fingers like living creatures eager to be set free. The Origin power instantly clicked into a surplus amount around her.

The fire cast flickering shadows on her face, making her look both beautiful and terrible at the same time. With her other hand, she called upon the wind, and the air around her began to swirl and move as if it were alive.

Katerina smiled her cruel smile and pressed her palms against the ground.

The ground beneath her feet responded to her touch, and thick vines burst up from the soil, writhing like green serpents. Trees around the clearing began to bend toward her, their branches reaching out as if they wanted to help their mistress. But it was when she breathed out that the real danger showed itself—her breath came out as white mist, and wherever it touched, frost began to form.

"Let’s see how your pretty flames handle the cold bite of winter," Katerina said, her voice carrying the sound of icicles breaking.

She gestured with both hands, and a wave of bitter cold rushed toward Morgana. The grass beneath the frost turned black and brittle, and the very air seemed to freeze.

But Morgana was ready.

She threw her hands forward and sent a wall of fire to meet the ice attack.

When the two forces collided, steam rose up in great white clouds that hissed and roared like angry dragons. The heat from the flames met the bitter cold, and for a moment, neither witch could gain the upper hand.

"Is that all you have, sister?" Katerina taunted, even as sweat beaded on her forehead from the effort.

Morgana didn’t waste breath on words.

Instead, she called upon the wind to be her ally. The air around her began to spin faster and faster, creating a whirlwind that caught her flames and made them dance higher and hotter.

Fire and wind worked together, the wind feeding the flames and making them stronger while the fire heated the air and made the wind move even faster.

She sent this spinning tornado of fire directly at Katerina, who had to dive to the side to avoid being burned.

But as she rolled, Katerina pressed her hands to the ground again, and thick roots erupted from the ground where Morgana stood.