Loras knew that his wife was half witch, but no one else did, they made sure that especially the king couldn't discover about it. So they never talked about that matter and less about others witches, so he had never come in this place and had never seen a witch. They were the rulers of the forest, the equilibrium was established by their magic, that worked only in that forest. A witch never dared to go down in the two kingdoms, because she could never survive, but up in the High Hill, where their magic was strong, no one could touch them.
They made Loras seat on a chair out in the open and even tied him. He agreed to that trusting his wife. Petra and the other witches brought four smaller cauldrons around the chair, and made a fire under them. A dark green matter started boiling inside them.
- This is a strong spell, - Petra said, - it takes some trouble to prevent a curse of the Great Witch.
- Why do you tell me that?, - Loras asked.
And before the old witch could respond, Mary interrupted:
- Don't worry my love! Just trust me there is nothing to worry about.
He moved his head as a sign of agreement. Than some other witches came and brought some of the animals from the forest, that needed to be sacrificed in order to complete the spell. There were eight witches and Petra, they together made a cross of strange different types of herbs. They sat it on fire and it looked like it wasn't consuming by the fire. The eight witches put their capes on and started moving around Loras, the cross and the cauldrons. Petra remained in the middle with the four animals that were in a cage. Mary remained there too, and got her husband's hand making him feel safe. The witches went on rotating in a circle as the cross burned in front of him and started singing some strange words of a different language in a chorus, and all of a sudden in middle of the night a storm begin, but the winds were not enough to move something, the thunders were strong and sometimes lighted to much making the witches appear and disappear as they went on singing their creepy scary songs. Despite the rain, the cross went on burning and the cauldrons boiling and in that moment Petra started reciting strange verses too, she was the scariest of all. She first took the mouse and threw it to burn in one of the cauldron, it screamed in pain and the storm became stronger. She after took the cat and threw it in the next cauldron and it screamed even harder as they continued singing and the storm became stronger. After she took the fox and threw it in the next cauldron, it was the loudest out of them all and the storm became louder. Loras was frozen in the middle with his wife beside him, the rain was falling, the thunders lighting and the witches singing. The cauldrons were boiling and the cross was still burning without consuming, and the trees around them were black. Petra took the last animal, it was an eagle, she took it by the legs and went to the last cauldron and roared:
- May no curse ever be cast on Loras of the Wolfly dynasty!
Than with the head down put the eagle in the green boil, and it didn't scream. The storm ended, the witches stopped, the cauldrons stopped boiling and so did the fire under them. The cross extinguished in the instant and it fell like ashes on the ground and everything became dark once again. Petra got close and said:
- It is done my prince! No one can curse you now.
Than they all went back in the house and Loras went with Mary in a room the witches gave them.
- If we are done I don't wanna stay a moment more in this place!, - Loras said.
- We won't!, - Mary told her husband, - I just need to talk to Petra about some things and than we can go.
Mary dressed up from the rain and went on through the corridors of this creepy building to Petra's room.
- Like you wanted I did stop any curse on your husband., - Petra said as she started removing her wet clothes and revealed her old body.
- I thank you for that!, - Mary responded.
Petra was a woman beyond her sixties, she had dark skin that had lost its texture, black creepy eyes and messy grey hair. And like always she wore old clothes. This was the nature of many witches.
- Why are you looking at me like this?, - Petra said with her scary voice as she put another old ridiculous dress on, - You are judging my old body?
- I have no problems with your body, you know that.
- I used to be beautiful once too, but age does what it does and makes us disgusting.
- That's not a topic to be treated now.
- You are right. So tell me what good finally made you decide to show up ready for war.
- The war is not ready, but we can make it. I needed my husband to be protected from that cursed Great Witch of yours.
- And how do you plan making it?
- That's not a concern of yours.
- You said to your husband that you will try at all cost to prevent the war?, - Petra added
- I did. My husband wouldn't want a war, but he didn't loose his mother, I did.
- You know that the Great Witch will always choose queen Anabel's side and that you can't win any war in those circumstances.
- That's why you are needed! We will take care of her and you will became the new Great Witch, and I will be able to take my mother's vengeance.
- Are you sure you want to do this?, - the witch asked her.
- Can you remind me for a bit what happened to my mother?, - Mary asked and the tears filled her eyes.
- Oh my child cry, free yourself, I cry too sometimes for her even tho she wasn't my mother.
Jacketa was the kindest person in the world, she was like my little sister. She was the leader of the western clan, of our clan. The Great Witch and Anabel manipulated her. She went down in the forest, left the High Hill, all we got back was her dead body., - Petra was talking with emotions and some tears, - She dies for the new vampire queen. She made many mistakes for her, she risked it all and married your father, a werewolf, to became an infiltrated of hers. I don't know what happened there, but I know for sure that Anabel sacrificed her to win. Jacketa fell in love with your father, but betrayed him because of her.
- In other words, she ruined my mother's life and than took it, and she did it by winning her trust., - Mary said confident in herself, - Are you really asking me if I want to start this war?
Mary believed in the story about her mother, but the only one who told her the details was this woman. How is it possible that Mary never wondered if Petra lied to her? Maybe the pain made her forget that question.