Ivrea could hear voices, but it was not very audible from her position. Pressing her ears closer to the wooden walls did not seem to help. All she heard was the noise of the wood vibrating to the echoes of their voices.
She quietly moved inside the small space. The closet was not big enough with all the old brooms, mops, and cleaning agents littering the floor and around her.
"What is going on, Elisia?" She whispered but assuring that she was the only one who could hear herself, trying to fight the fear that was creeping up in her spine.
Ivrea strained herself again on the door, hoping to figure out what her friend was doing with the Prince. Elisia promised to explain everything, but what if something went wrong and her friend landed in big trouble.
She could not imagine what would happen to her if the Prince finally decided to attack her. She remembered all those stories about those monsters.
The Prince and his men could kill with their bare hands or with just a snap of their claws. But they also carried weapons and willed them skillfully, slaying all those who would oppose them.
"What are they talking about?" She kept moving her head, pressing her ears even harder to the wooden surface, hoping to get a hint of the subject of their conversation.
She would have eavesdropped in the diner when she saw them, but the monsters were already leaving when she arrived. She could not question Elisia then because she was working.
Then, she realized that Elisia might not tell her anything since it would seem she was keeping it a secret even from her. Or else, she would have already told her.
But nothing.
Until.
"Aaahhh!" She freaked out when the door suddenly opened, making her stumble down on the cold, dusty floor.
She did not need to look up to know what had caused her fall. Judging from the shoes standing in front of her, it could only mean one thing. She wanted to crawl, stand up and run, but she already guessed it was useless.
With trembling lips and shaking hands, she looked up. Still, she hoped she was mistaken. But how could she? It was too much wishful thinking.
"I found her." The man as big as the Prince stated in his loud voice. He did not attempt to touch her yet but had just stared at her with those dreadful eyes.
He stood there in her presence like she was a pest he wanted to squash with the palm of his hands as his hands clenched on his side.
He did not carry any weapon, compared to the stories told to them through the tales, but his size and brute strength might be enough to suffocate her to death.
"Bring her here, Isaac." She heard another voice, probably the Prince, she thought, judging from its authority.
Presently, she was more terrified as the hair on her skin stood up in fright. She wondered what they were planning to do with her and her friend. She had not heard her friend's voice yet. Was she ok?
Then, her mind conjured up scenarios of what this monster looked like because at the moment, staring at him, all she saw was a huge man. Why did the werewolves call them monsters? Is it because they killed their kinds?
"Stand up." The man ordered, named Isaac, shouted at her. But she was slow as her knees shook, resulting in her clumsiness in her movements. "Did you not hear me, witch?"
The man said rudely, forcing her by lifting her forcefully until she stood on her feet, slightly wobbling. Luckily, he was still holding her, or she might have fallen back to her knees.
Then, his tight grip dragged her back to the other room. But, relief came over her when she saw Elisia standing a few meters away from the Prince.
She immediately ran to her when she felt her captor partially loosen his grip on her, hugging her friend tightly. Being the youngest in their group, she relied much on her friends.
"What is your name, and what are you doing here?" The Prince's sharp eyes gazed at her, studying her. She knew a wrong answer would probably result in their demise.
"She is Ivrea, my friend. She would be helping me with the ritual." Elisia immediately cut in the conversation, saving her from answering. Suddenly, more questions plagued her mind.
What ritual? Is her friend doing some witchcraft ceremony for this monster?
She looked from her friend to the other two in the room, more confused than ever. But she could not read anything from their expression. She still sensed that these monsters were not friendly.
"I thought you could handle this on your own." The Prince asked, suddenly suspicious of them. His eyes slightly burn red, showing them that he had some form of ability not common to humans.
Witches were humans who had the power to conjure up spells, but they would still classify them as just mere mortals. They could not shift to anything else, unlike werewolves. But what else could the Prince do?
"Yes, I can, but I think having two would make it more powerful. It would be easier to manage the spell." Elisia lied her way out of their situation. She could tell since her fingers had crossed at her back.
"I already warned you before. If you crossed me, you know what will happen to the two of you." His eyes suddenly returned to normal. Its green could fool you, appearing so gentle.
Then, his friend pulled out a knife and played with it, probably hoping to scare them more, sending the message loud and clear.
"Just give us a minute to finish the preparation." Elisia hoped that she sounded convincing, but from the look of the Prince, she was doubtful.
Her friend held her arms and dragged her back to the kitchen. She thought of running, but again, she doubted she would get far before they caught up with her.
"What was that all about?" She whispered to her friend once they were in the other room. "What ritual?" She lowered her voice but was unaware that the Prince could hear them.
Elisia told her a short explanation of her plan or what the Ancient witches wanted her to do. Ivrea understood what she said, but she could not fathom why.
Ivrea still did not agree to this arrangement. Would her plans work? What were their ancestors thinking, wanting to proceed with this union?
But at the moment, she had no other option but to help her friend, not wanting to risk their lives if they messed up with the spell.