AUTHOR'S POV
As the moonlit flit for Vesta, she came out of the palace rushing without daring herself to look back. She escaped each room and ran out of the halls as the apotropaic force chase her out. With Argus dead in the hands of the Prince, and now King of Nether, the traveler in Vesta no longer find a reason to hang around the palace, most especially that the apotropaic spells are now intact. All the other individuals with soul travelers were captured and detained. She didn't bothered to know why. All she cares about is to get out of the palace and live a long fruitful life.
Luckily, Vesta made it out just when Syria and some palace knights started capturing soul travelers. She walked through the gallows of dead bodies killed by dark healers, until she reached the castletowne. As she was about to cover her face with a red cloak, she was flabberghasted when a large hand grappled her towards one of the dark, tight spaces of the castle's small town alley.
"Going somewhere?", the paladin archer, Alesso, held Vesta's hands over her head pining her against the wall. Vesta tried to free herself from the paladin archer, however he was too strong for her. The time Vesta couldn't man-handle Alesso, only confirms that she really isn't Vesta he knew. "Why in a hurry?", he asked.
"Alesso, let go!!", Vesta grunted as she struggle to break loose from Alesso's grasp.
"What? I'm not even putting a lot of strenght into it", Alesso said. His injuries have healed a little, though some parts of his body are still sore.
From where they stood, they can both hear clanking footsteps and voices nearby. Alesso noticed the fear written on Vesta's face, then he peered out only to see the high priestess accompanied with royal knights probing the area. "I have to go, and nice seeing you", Vesta grunted, not giving up of breaking free. If she get caught by the high priestess, she will be locked up like the others.
"Sure, but before you go.. I got you something", Alesso put the emerald malachite necklace that he received frim Stellan around Vesta's neck. He then stepped back and hoped it'll do its magic.
"What..", Vesta creased her brows. As soon as the necklace touched her skin, she suddenly arched her back as if she felt something pulling her out. Then, her eyes rolled back, turning them completely white. Later she dropped on her knees, with both of her hands on the cobblestoned floor, panting almost out of breath.
Alesso crouched down, and ignited his aura as he snap his fingers. With the light from his finger, he sighed a relief when he saw the paladin crusader's eyes which turned to its natural blue hue. "Welcome back", he said. Vesta crinkled her nose and brazenly landed a punch on Alesso's face.
"What was that for?", Alesso fell on his back, as he rub his cheek.
"What took you so long!!", Vesta yelled as she stood up and immediately pulled out her labrys. Infuriated from being esnared and impotent, she could only helplessly watch through the eyes of the traveler, consuming her hope day by day.
"Sorry, there's a bit of a hiccup", Alesso said as he remove the bandage around his head. "That hurt! How dare you beat up an injured person. Well at least you haven't lost your touch", he gently massage his jaw.
Vesta softly chuckled as she offer a hand to Alesso. She felt lucky to have a friend who knew her well and got her back all the time. In a sudden, the clacking sounds of metal interrupted the two. "Who's there?", Vesta whispered with her hands on her labrys.
"Shh.. it's the high priestess", Alesso hushed.
Syria and the knights who spotted their location decided to skip their hiding area. She could no longer sense the soul traveler whom they were tailing elsewhere. When she could feel the power of the paladins nearby, she decidingly led the knights back to the palace instead. "There's nothing here", she said.
The paladins waited until the high priestess and her knights were no longer on sight. When they're gone, the pair hurriedly went out. "Stellan needs us", Alesso said as he cover his face with his emerald cloak.
"Sure, but I'll just kill a witch", Vesta said as she step out of the dark alley. "Why do you look like shit?", she asked when she noticed the scratches on Alesso's skin.
"We have not much time, I'll let you catch up on the way.", Alesso led the way with caution. "Dark healers are on the loose. Be careful", he said.
"Point to the right direction then. By the way, how about the priest?", Vesta asked.
"We'll deal with that later", he answered.
AUTHOR'S POV
The dark cloudy night was despairingly cold. Given with a new barrier, the Wiccans were no longer afraid at any time the Prince comes back. Everything went back to normal. No ounce of fear can be felt inside the barrer.
Early today, Iaso received a talisman from Syria. It is believed that Tris' soul is kept inside. However, Iaso cannot find the spell to undo its magic, that it took them almost a day to find it in the oldest books they have.
"What are we looking for again, Iaso?", Freya asked for the fifth time.
Iaso kept looking in the books. She believes that she have read such spell before. "It's an old spell of unbinding souls.", she answered.
"If Helena did her part in saving the kingdom, we wouldn't feel the need to free Tris from this ugly trinket", Freya said as she toss the talisman on the table. Then, she look over Helena's scepter leaning against the window by the living room. "Why don't we just use our magic all together and fight them?", she asked.
Iaso lowered her gaze on Freya, with her glasses sliding down the tip of her nose. "What's got into you?", she wondered where the bitterness in Freya comes from. She isn't usually like this.
"I'm sorry", Freya sighed, knowing she stepped out of the line.
"Firstlt, don't blame Helena, Freya. None of these is her fault. We placed her in a difficult position she's unaware of. Secondly, we'll still free whoever is in this talisman, whether its Tris or Helena. We'll set them free. And lastly, we don't attack our own. We're not that kind of evil", Iaso reasoned out to ease Freya's hostility towards Helena and their situation. For even a small ample of hatred can still turn someone into a wicked one. "Let's just hope Helena will come around. She have a good heart, and a brave one too. Of course, you already know that, you're friends", she smiled.
"Surely she's mad at me after I lashed out on her", Freya pouted, thinking Helena won't choose to become friends with her again after what happened.
"Then maybe the next time you see her, you'll apologize? Your wounds healed better after you met her, and you're happier", Iaso held Freya's hand and grazed her wrists where her deep scars were healed by Helena.
"You think Celeste will come around too?", Freya asked.
"She's clouded because of Argus. Sooner, she'll realize what's right from wrong", Iaso answered.
It has been a long day of searching an old spell. Freya, who's never fond of reading, put the musty book down and stood up. "I'll get more coffee then", Instead of refilling her coffee cup with magic, Freya decided to make one herself, a way to get out of the mountain of dusty books making her sneeze all the time. She held her cup with both of her hands, and went straight to the kitchen.
*CRASH
The coffee cup slid from Freya's hands that it shattered into pieces. Iaso was startled at Freya's clumsiness. When she look at her student, she was standing completely frozen staring ahead. Freya's eyes were fixed on a woman in white chemise dress standing barefoot in the kitchen. She's facing down the floor, that her long hair covers her face. The woman who's almost like an illusion kept mumbling inaudible words.
As Freya and Iaso look closely, the woman's feet isn't touching the floor at all. "I-iaso?", Freya couldn't even utter the words in extreme fright.
Iaso slowly stood upfront, and faced the familiar ghost. "It can't be", she softly uttered.
It's Yereah.
"They're…", the ghastly figure breathlessly mumbled.
"Why are you here?", Iaso asked while Freya clasp on her arm behind her.
"They.. are", Yereah's ghost continue to breathlessly mumble words they cannot understand.
"What?", Iaso bravely asked as she knit her brows. "Speak to us! What is it that you want!?", Iaso asked again.
Yereah's ghost disappeared. Then it jumped right into Iaso's face holding on her shoulders."THEY'RE COMING!", her ghost said before it vanished into thin air.
It was clearly a warning.
With a haste decision based on the message from the dead, Iaso hurriedly packed a couple of books, including the talisman. "You're leaving tonight", Iaso said. If Yereah's soul is freed, her murderer have surely passed on.
"What about you?! And the people here?", Freya prepares her things with trembling hands.
"We'll all be fine here, we have the barriers, remember?", Iaso added a little more food and water in Freya's pack. "Take these, and free Tris!", Iaso put a coat on Freya and tied its ribbon finely.
"I can't do it, Iaso", Freya shook her head in reluctance.
"Find Helena, you'll be safe with her.", Iaso held Freya's cheek, wiping out the hesitance on her face. "She'll forgive you. Now go, they haven't gone too far!", she gave Freya one last embrace before she push her out of the door.