Nala stood in the rain and looked at everyone who was there, showing her eyes as the purple fire illuminated her pink eye and her Moon Eye which had a slight green hue to it. She was no more the friendly kid that had been just talking to Nolamine seconds ago.
She turned to where the women had been sitting and mending the pots.
There she was. Nolamine did not know when she had appeared there, but he was surprised by her nature for that night.
It was the Grand Witch and for some reason, she looked happy. The women around her seemed to have been talking to her too before Nala's appearance.
Her stump had been healed. In fact, it looked like it had been healed long ago. At that moment, she looked like a mother watching her children have a good time, heaving a sense of pride over the fact that they were smiling without stress or illness.
Next to her was the man who had been beaten up by his woman for asking the ancestors to help him marry Fourth when his wife-to-be was right next to him.
Just like how she had healed Nala by the waterfall, she had used her staff to heal him. Many males felt sorry for him but secretly praised him for his bravery.
She locked eyes with Nala and nodded her head.
"We have occupied this land for over a thousand years. From our ancestors who first made contact with Mamlambo, getting the wisdom and power of the supernatural world that helps us to fight against malevolence, to the first Moon Warrior who protected this land and raised the barrier that stopped the beast from going beyond the Great Forest and thus becoming the first Grand Witch."
Her words carried so much information for Nolamine and that made him pay even more attention to what she was saying than usual. Langa came and stood next to him, now holding his sword over his shoulders. Nolamine did not know what to make of his appearance.
"In order to grow, be harmonious, and not be secluded, we have accepted others from other clans, villagers, and from the now modern world to join us, that is if they were willing to accept our ways. And for all those years, none has ever betrayed us or sided with the malevolence we were born to fight."
Nala continued. After her words, those who were sitting stood up, and those who were drunk sobered up real quick.
She put her hand over the fire, feeling nothing, and it not burning her.
"We are the Cursed Clan!!"
She said with pride as the others started to get railed up.
"I am ashamed that, in my generation, such insolent traitors have plagued the Cursed. They are a curse to the Cursed and just like a curse, they need to be exorcised."
She said as she grabbed the fire with her hand like it was tangible and separated it into two, holding a fire sphere in both hands. Nolamine's mind almost blew up. Right then, it was like he was seeing a mage with a fire spell on her hands.
It was something he and Son-join had always been fantasizing about and after seeing how the clans powers worked, he thought that he would not see something like that on earth but in the other world.
"The time for peace and arrogance seems to be over, for we have always been on the defense."
She said as she put one of her hands over her Moon Eye, the fire being absorbed by it and thus perpetually burning purple flames that did not harm her.
"The dead have spoken."
She said as she looked at the crowd of villagers gathered around.
"Only four huh? It is time to send a message to our enemies."
She said as she raised her hand. The fire separated into four fire spheres and like fireworks, they shot up across the sky like they were in search of someone. They then dropped like little missiles onto four people in the crowd who immediately started to burn.
Screams could be had as the others quickly got away from them in fright. The smell of burning flesh perforated the area. To Nolamine's surprise, he knew one of the people being burnt alive. Well, he had seen her when he had his butt handed to him by Nala.
It was the woman who got possessed by a spirit after The Grand Witch smiled and she predicted a good harvest. The others were hunters he would see training and going out to hunt beasts with others during the months he was there. He had never paid any attention to them.
"It seemed it was no coincidence for her to be the one chosen that day. She must have been marked that day and then went on to mark her fellow traitors when meeting with them. The ancestors seem to be with us and lending us assistance."
Langa said.
As he said that, the woman who was screaming in pain while she was being burnt alive stood up and looked over to where Nolamine was.
"This is all your fault! You son of a wench!!"
She said as she started to run towards him, the villagers moving away as they were scared of the fire. Nolamine had his guard up while Langa smiled. King, who was also next to them prepared himself to attack, but First walked up in front of them, holding his Beast Bone.
"We shall not stop until we obtain the sacrifice needed."
She said crazily when she was near him.
First swung his massive Beast Bone, hitting the burning woman. The strike landed square onto her body, sending her flying across the sky as lightning illuminated the dark. First had sent her flying over the east part of the Great Forest.
After sending her off, First looked at Nolamine, then went back to where he was sitting all by himself quietly as he watched everyone.
The three hunters burnt to ash as their screams died down. Nala, with her eye still burning, looked over to the east where the burning woman had flown to.