CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO Patrick saw the eagerness written all over Lucy, and he felt it was really strange. She seemed more excited than the rest of the group, and that really bothered him even though he kept his thoughts to himself. “Let’s leave at once; there is no time,” Lucy said with a resolute tone while she looked at the others who remained standing, and she started to walk toward the rocky path that led to the hut. She walked for a while without stopping, but when she noticed that the others were still standing where she left them, she stopped instantly and turned to look at them. “What are you guys waiting for? Come on, there is no time!” She gestured to them instantly, and then she waited for them to start walking toward her. “Let’s go, guys…” Borius said, even though it was evident from his voice that he wasn’t sure about going close to the hut; he had sworn allegiance to Lucy, and that made him decide to go with her. “Are you sure about that, Borius?” Heather asked her b

CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR Their eyes were met with the sight of a darkness that couldn’t enable them to see what was really inside the part of the hut that was visible to them. “Can you see anything, Patrick ?” Seth asked nervously, unable to go further than he had already gone, but Patrick gave him no response while he tried to look again to see if he was going to see anything. “Maybe you should go in, Patrick . I think you should go in, but please be very careful.” Lucy said with a low tone, but Seth shook his head as an indication that he was not totally in support of what she said. “Are you sure that's a good idea? I think he shouldn’t go inside the hut. Look at it, do you see anything from where you are standing?” “No, Seth. But there is no way we are going to see if anyone is inside if he doesn’t go in. Maybe if you think it’s such a bad idea, you should go in yourself.” “No! That’s not going to happen! I can’t be the first to go in there, it has to be safe first!” Seth said a

CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX Patrick gasped loudly the moment he heard the voice of the witch, but that wasn’t his reaction when he saw her face, and the way she looked. Not only was her appearance abhorring, but she also had a strange smell that Patrick was unable to comprehend, and he was forced to take two steps backward while he cautiously kept his eyes on her, being mindful of even how he blinked. Realizing that the witch was back, Patrick ’s companions gave up in their attempts to get him to understand what they were trying to warn him of, and they had their eyes on the witch whose cackling remained constant, resonating either before or after each word she said. Without taking another look, it was much easier to tell ok the first sight that Jarden was exhausted, and the map he was holding onto was scrolled up, and lying on the floor close to his left foot. “Who are you? What are you? Why do you want with my friends?” Patrick continued to panic while he took extra steps backward,

CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT “What?” Patrick was shocked beyond expectation, and when he attempted to pick the blade up, she waved both of her hands at the same time, and a heavy force pushed Patrick to the ground, causing him to grunt in pain. “I warned you! I told you to drop that stupid weapon of yours, but you refused to listen!” Adriana started to walk toward Patrick who whimpered in pain while he attempted twice to get up from the ground. “There is something about you, I don’t know what it is, but there is definitely something about you.” Adrianna’s voice lowered as she continued walking toward Patrick who managed to crawl backward in an attempt to get away from her. His companions continued to muffle inaudible words, but none of that mattered as Patrick ’s entire attention was geared toward the old witch who was about to do something terrible to him. “Your friends were very easy to get, it was easy to feed on their fears, especially that silly Centaur who doesn’t know how to

CHAPTER EIGHTY Patrick stared anxiously at Adrianna as she stood in front of Lucy who seemed very anxious and couldn’t take her eyes away from the dagger the witch was holding in front of her. Slowly, Adrianna lifted the dagger to Lucy’s face and touched her cheek with it, causing her to shiver profusely while she bent her head to be able to get a better view of the sharp edge dagger that almost pierced her skin. Lucy whimpered in pain as Adrianna pushed the dagger a little bit deeper into her skin while she sniggered with her dirty set of teeth showing fully. “Maybe a little motivation will grant you the kind of courage you need to do what I have asked you!” Adrianna said to Patrick without turning to look at him while she kept her eyes on Lucy who was trying to say something to her but ended up muffling her words as a result of the piece of clothing used to tie her mouth. “What are you doing? Don’t hurt her!” Patrick couldn’t bear watching Lucy bear the pain from the sharp