Chapter 2 Vampire

respond immediately or move, even though she knew Srala was waiting for her, patient and silent, behind her.

The old woman had taken care of Nyana since the young oracle's mother had crossed over to Atman. Srala

was always worried about the girl calming down and feeling the cold wind that came from the South on her skin. But the concern was different now, and Nyana saw it written on the old woman's face when she stood

up. - Don't worry, child. - Srala seemed to read the witch's thoughts. - Give your mind time to recover from

what happened. - She lightly touched Nyana's hand and squeezed it comfortingly. - Atman will look for you

when you are ready. Srala saw the silent question on her pupil's lips by the way she continued to stare at her.

When? Srala had no answer to that, but she knew that soon Atman would call the girl. She could feel it. The

old woman had not lost her oracle powers after the demons' attack, but she also could not serve as a

comparison to the other witches: she held powers that none of them had the authorization to carry. As elder

and oracle, she wielded two distinct gifts, and with them came even more serious responsibilities. One of

them was the girl who was right in front of her. Some oracles in the village had told Srala about the difculty

of talking to the ancestors right after the attack from the underworld, however, with meditation and refection,

the power had gradually returned, the energies were balanced and Atman called them. With Nyana, this had

not happened. Srala watched the girl walk away and walk towards the village. The elder didn't like seeing the sadness that marked Nyana's expression whenever she retired, but she knew that letting the girl stay there.

trying to pull a thread that wasn't available until the ancestors decided otherwise, was wasting energy on

something. that only time would remedy. She let it go and, instead of retreating, her feet carried her to the

familiar paths between the red trunks. The small nocturnal animals were already starting to appear, the owls

with their sharp eyes were looking for food and the crickets were making their usual noise. Srala walked to the

main village and knocked on the door of a rustic wooden cabin. She waited for a while until she saw Krida's

kind face. - Srala... what happened? - She knew it was unusual for the old woman to visit her at that time. - In

between. Srala entered and was greeted by warm air and the aroma of toasted bread. The freplace was lit

and the sweet smell of the hanging herbs calmed her, they were probably cured for use in some infusion.

Krida greeted her with a simple china cup of tea and the two sat on rustic wooden chairs. Srala's eyes stared

into the fames of the freplace and she knew Krida could see the tension on her face. - I'm worried about

Nyana, Krida - Srala confessed out loud what she wasn't allowed to say in the oracle village. She didn't need to explain much for Krida to understand the reason for her concern. - Is Atman still silent? Srala just nodded.

and a silence passed through the cabin. Often, when the two of them sat like that to talk, words weren't very

necessary. They were immersed in their own thoughts, respecting each other's space. Krida then asked a

question out loud. -Do you think Nyana was tainted after the attack on the White Forests? Srala tried to rule

out this possibility. She sipped her tea and waved her hand as if dispelling the theory. - Some witches lost

their powers after the attack... But they managed to pull the wire and the energy stabilized. I fear that the

silence that circulates in Nyana's aura is a blockage that she herself placed... - What would that be like? Kridawas an elder like her, but she was no oracle. Srala was the only witch who held these two levels of knowledge:

in addition to having all the wisdom that only an elderly woman carried, she could talk directly to the

ancestors. The power an oracle had and how it worked was unknown even to the witches of the White

Forests. Srala took a deep breath. - Krida, you know that oracles are unique witches... - Seeing Krida nod,

she added. - We are pure in the most diverse ways. We have no contact with humans, nor with other

species... we do not explore the pleasure of the fesh, our purpose is to serve witches, both those in Atman

and those in the corporeal world. I'm the only one who leaves the domain of the White Forests because I'm

part of the Nobilitatis, but it costs me energy and I need to remain silent for a while to rebalance myself. -

When the attack occurred, Nyana experienced a lot of the outside world... - Krida completed Srala's thought.

- Do you think she might be lacking the necessary balance to pull the thread of Atman? - I think Nyana

thinks she is no longer worthy of this thread. - Why wouldn't Nyana be worthy of Atman? - Krida's voice was

laced with surprise, even though she knew the thought wasn't necessarily Srala's. - Months ago, demons

attacked our witches... - And Nyana wasn't to blame for that. Srala took a deep breath and silence returned to

the cabin. The crackling of the freplace continued and the two drank some more tea. It was a waning moon

and the witches' powers were more restrained during this lunar phase. Even if Nyana spent the entire night

meditating, Atman might not respond. - Nyana spent a lot of time with Arsene's brother... The vampire named

Videric. - Krida fnally uttered the thought that fooded her mind. Srala grimaced at that statement, but then

she was overcome with genuine concern. It took some time for her to assimilate all these emotions, and she

could see from Krida's expression that she realized she had hit the right spot. - Do you think Nyana could be

linked to him? - Srala asked without knowing if she really wanted to hear Krida's opinion. - He is a vampire.

has a connection with the underworld. Perhaps the ancestors no longer fnd her worthy. - Arsene is also a

vampire. - Arsene has wizarding blood and is the son of Saerya... In addition to sat from the Red Crown -

Krida said the obvious. Srala exhaled through her mouth, her sagging cheeks swelled and, when she looked

up, she saw her sister smiling as if it were comical. She set the china down on the nearby table, the tea long

gone. She stood up slowly, tiredness fnally catching up with her. Looking at Krida, Srala hardened her face

and surrendered to something she had been avoiding. - I'll talk to Lymena - she declared. Chapter 2 The

meeting had already lasted almost an hour and little had been said between the Nobilitatis. There were two absentees: Srala, who had avoided leaving the White Forests at all costs since the attack and thought that

those meetings would lead to nothing for now, and Merik, who was absent from the last two and was completing the third without showing up. - The Black Prince has been mysteriously reclusive since Igrik's

attack on the White Forests. - Domenico expressed his concern. It was unusual for Merik not to attend the

meeting. It had always been in the Black Prince's interest to know what was going on in the corporeal world,

even if he didn't do much to interfere. This was remembered by Lymena as soon as Domenico closed his mouth: in addition to not having taken sides in the war against the Upper Underworld, Merik had not closed

the rift that Igrik opened further south, ignoring the advice of the Nobilitatis and everyone's interest. - You know that Merik can be selfsh when it comes to personal interests. - Domenico's voice was cautious when

dealing with Lymena, as he knew she didn't like the Black Prince and had long wanted a chance to confront.

him. - Being selfsh is something very different from ignoring orders. The rift can only be closed by a creature

from the underworld and Merik fts into that category.