Chapter 112: The fire witch

Caius smiled calmly and nodded. "My prediction was right."

Hazel stared at him in disbelief.

Was he serious? She had just told him that a bloody war was coming, yet he looked as though he had been expecting it. There was no fear on his face, and he didn’t even seem surprised.

"Why are you so calm?" she asked.

Before Caius could answer, the door opened, and several people entered the study. The High Priest was dressed in his royal priest attire, and an older wolf walked beside him. A Light Witch Hazel had never seen before followed them.

The witch stopped in front of Hazel and bowed. "Your Majesty, it is time."

Hazel turned toward Caius.

He simply nodded. Suddenly, everything started making sense.

So this was the reason behind the coming war. Caius had known about it all along. He wanted to wake Lith so she could bring his mother back to life, but the process was going to disturb the natural balance of things. Some people wouldn’t allow it to happen, especially those who knew what Lith had done in the past.

And now they were coming to stop them.

Hazel quickly moved toward Caius and wrapped her arms around him.

He was surprised by her sudden action, but he hugged her back.

She couldn’t sense his emotions properly, and that made her even more uncomfortable. She didn’t want a war. She didn’t want people dying because of something they were trying to do inside that chamber.

What if she hadn’t agreed to help them?

Would they have simply waited until the enemies arrived before telling her everything?

Everyone knew about this except her. They had allowed her to walk around without knowing that a battle was about to begin.

Hazel tightened her arms around Caius. She wasn’t sure what would happen next, but she didn’t want to lose him.

The High Priest cleared his throat. "We’re running out of time."

Hazel quickly pulled away. There was no time to argue or ask more questions. She had already agreed to help, and she wasn’t going to turn back now.

She started walking, but before they could leave the study, ten royal guards surrounded them. They formed a protective circle around Hazel and the others, making sure nobody could get close to her.

The High Priest held Hazel’s hand and hurried forward.

"Damn it! There must be a traitor among us who’s giving them information."

Hazel narrowed her eyes.

Doris.

It had to be Doris. She was the one who had been taken away after Janet exposed her. Hazel couldn’t think of anyone else who would have enough information to help their enemies.

But she kept her thoughts to herself.

They had bigger problems to deal with.

Meanwhile, Azula and Janet were already rushing toward the entrance of the secret passage. Akeelah followed them, looking worried.

She glanced at Hazel. "They’re close. We’ll try our best to stop them, but you need to stay focused."

Hazel nodded nervously.

She didn’t know how many enemies were coming or how powerful they were, but she could feel that something terrible was about to happen.

They continued moving until they finally reached the secret passage.

The huge golden doors stood before them, decorated with rubies and jade. The strange blue eagle on the stone pillar looked even more frightening than before, its glowing eyes shining in the dim light.

Rita was already standing in front of the doors.

She wore her royal blue queen’s cape, which flowed behind her as she faced the entrance. Her usual playful expression was gone, and she looked more serious than Hazel had ever seen her.

Two strong guards approached, each carrying a large pot filled with water. They placed one pot on each side of the golden doors before stepping away.

Hazel looked at them, then turned toward Rita. "Does she want to use her soul power?" she whispered.

The Light Witch beside her nodded. "Yes. But our opponent is much stronger than we expected. She’s also a royal witch, a powerful Fire Witch."

Hazel looked at her. "How powerful?"

The witch swallowed. "She’s the oldest, and I’ve heard she’s even stronger than Queen Rita. The last time they fought, she won."

Hazel froze.

That was bad.

She remembered what Rita had told her about the elemental witches. The older they were, the stronger their powers became. Their emotions could also affect the strength of their abilities.

The Fire Witch was probably powerful because of her anger, while Rita was always playful and rarely allowed anything to trouble her.

Hazel looked at Rita again.

She couldn’t afford to lose this battle. She quickly walked toward her. "Don’t pity anyone! Summon your rage. Remember everything that made you angry and use it. Don’t hold back because she’s your opponent."

Rita blinked. For a moment, she looked surprised by Hazel’s words. Then her expression became serious again.

Hazel moved away and stood in front of the huge golden doors.

She stared at them, feeling a strange connection she couldn’t explain. "I’ve been here before..." she whispered.

Everyone looked at her. Before anyone could ask what she meant, the golden doors suddenly began to open.

A loud sound filled the passage as the two sides slowly moved apart.

The High Priest stared in shock.

What had just happened? Rita was supposed to open the door, but Hazel had done it simply by standing in front of it.

However, there was no time to question anything. "Go in with her! Now!" the High Priest ordered.

The guards immediately moved forward, but before anyone could enter, a powerful red energy suddenly appeared from nowhere.

It wrapped around Hazel’s body and pulled her backward with incredible force.

"HAZEL!" Rita screamed..

Hazel barely had time to react before the golden doors slammed shut with a loud bang.

Everyone turned toward the direction the energy had come from.

A tall, beautiful woman stood at the end of the passage. She wore a flowing red cape, and her long hair moved gently behind her despite the absence of wind.

One of her hands was stretched toward Hazel, while the other rested calmly beside her.

Her eyes were fixed on the people standing before the golden doors. "I won’t allow that," she said coldly.