Belle Adams' Butler

The little girl walked away from the castle. Her small hand carrying the open umbrella along with her. Though she looked barely seven or nine years old, the black witch was much older than anyone around her now. She stood with the humans who were waiting for the local carriage to arrive so that she could reach the last town of the Bonelake in the north. 

She smiled sweetly at the people who gushed on how cute and pretty the little girl looked, while also questioning where her parents were. Judith didn't know where her parents were and she had not bothered to find out because she had a slight hunch that her parents were in the same village she lived before the sacrificial ritual had been held. A daughter whose mother had abandoned her after birth as her father didn't accept another woman. They had burned in fire the night she had left with Sabbi. 

The only person who she would follow was her mistress, unlike the humans, or her very own kin, her mistress had a goal to achieve and she would help it. 

When Judith reached and met her Mistress finally, she could tell that the black witch was not happy looking at her empty hands. 

"Where is the book?" Sabbi asked, looking down at the little girl, "I received news that the book was taken out from the council."

"It was, Mistress but Inot has stolen it from Hendrick. He killed the vampire and has run away from the castle," Judith answered Sabbi's question, "He ran away with the book."

Sabbi was making a potion which she stopped working on, placing a lid on the top, the witch turned around, her blue eyes turning to slit, "Who knew Inot could be ambitious. The book is important and has been lying there in the council for decades. Falling in the hands of a person like Inot...we are only going to end up with a disadvantage."

Judith looked at Sabbi, waiting for the order which never came. Instead, the black witch said, "There's barely time before we have a breakthrough when it comes to the spells. We need the book before it to give us an opening. I will go get it myself."

The little girl's eyebrows rose and she said, "I will come with you."

"That won't be necessary. You have to check on the white witches and the witch hunters," said Sabbi, picking up the ragged coat that was on the chair, she then said, "Make sure to report me."

"Yes, mistress!" Judith responded back.

While the black witch had left in search of Inot, Isabell herself landed in the castle that belonged to Hendrick. The door was open and the white witch stepped inside in search of the people who had been abducted from villages and towns. Though the mansion was big, Isabell didn't find any servants. The place was quiet that got her suspicious and when she finally reached the bedroom of the man, she saw the person lying on the bed. Dead. 

"What happened to you," murmured Isabell, with her eyebrows knit together. The man appeared to have his head severed over his body. She doubted it was one single kill. The way his body had turned dry like a block of wood with no water in it, Isabell could only guess that there was another visitor before her. 

Isabell had come tracking and looking for the black witches who had been abducting people and it had led her here along with the forbidden magic she had used. 

She removed the gloves that she was wearing that showed her hand that was discolouring slowly. The discolouration had reached up to her shoulders. She had to cover her hands so that no one would notice what was happening to her. 

Using her fingers to swipe the surface of the objects and the things around, she finally stopped when she sensed something there. Her eyebrows furrowed and she finally let go of the surface of the table. 

They found the book, thought Isabell to herself and this wasn't good. She didn't know how they found about its existence but if it was going to fall in the wrong hands, there would be nothing but destruction everywhere. 

Inot had left the castle but he had not left the land of Bonelake. Instead of fleeing somewhere far and keeping himself hidden, the witcher roamed in the towns, living in the inn by giving them gold coins which he had stolen from Hendrick. 

Isabell was the first one who had caught up after finally catching hold of him to take the book from him. She put him to his grave and left the place but the other black witch, Sabbi, found Inot with no book on him that worsened her mood. 

After a day, the black witch did catch hold of Isabell to take what she had come for. 

Sabbi finally tracked Isabell and a fight broke between them with their knives clashing against each other in the forest.

"Give up," said Sabbi, after noticing how the white witch was still holding up after every attack. She clashed her knife straight on to Isabell's already weakened arm to draw blood out, "Actually you aren't that difficult to read."

"I am glad to hear that you're finally catching up. It was turning to be really mundane now," Isabelle's smile irked the black witch until her appearance broke down. 

"How dare you mock me!" Sabbi gritted her teeth, "I will make sure to burn you. Wait a minute! You are that white witch we burnt," Isabelle frowned hearing this. It was the villagers who had burnt her, but not heeding any expression on her face, Isabelle decided to hear out what this black witch had to say, "How are you even alive?" Sabbi laughed loudly, the echo of her laughter surrounding the forest and them. 

"You know about me."

"Who doesn't know you. But I have to say I am shocked. Tell me how you escaped your death and I will spare your life," seeing Isabell being quiet the black witch said, "You won't say, will you? Such honour."

"Are you trying to gather the red moon source? But you don't have all the ingredients now, do you? Do you have everything that you need to perform it?" enquired Isabelle and Sabbi looked taken aback that this person knew about it. 

"I need a few things that you have. The parchment that you have been secretly carrying all this while along with the book that you stole," and Sabbi used spells and moved in such speed that, she pushed the knife in Isabell's chest, before pulling it out, "I will be gracious enough to leave you here because I doubt you can even move a muscle more," she chuckled and left the forest, leaving behind Isabelle where the poison that was on the knife started to move through her veins and blood.

The white witch sat against the tree, her eyes turning weak and her body unable to move an inch. She coughed, bringing her hands up to spew blood on the palm of her hand. 

She had her eyes closed when she heard the footsteps of a person arrive on the ground.

"You look bad," said Lucas who was in his reaper form with the hooded cloak over his head. His face turned from skeleton to more human.

"You are on time."

"Can't lose the soul," smiled Lucas, looking down at how worn out Isabell looked right now.