Chapter 194 - Hiding Behind The Witch

Julie was woken up early in the morning by the cry of the rooster. Having slept later than her mother,  she had trouble opening her eyes. With her eyes still closed, she tried to sit up while letting her body lean forward. When she squinted her eyes open, as expected, her mother wasn't there in the bed nor the room. 

Getting out of the bed, she dragged her feet towards the stand, pulling the coat she wrapped herself in it. She then made her way out of the room and stepping out of the backside door. She walked towards the well. 

Julie picked up the pot, trying to figure out how to tie the rope around it so that it wouldn't loosen itself, which was when she heard a pair of footsteps behind her. She quickly turned and found it was her uncle Ottis. 

"Good morning, Lady Julianne," Ottis offered his greeting to her. 

Julie returned it by greeting him, "Good morning, Mr. Ottis. You can call me Julie." 

"I would dare not," chuckled Ottis, with a kind and bright smile on his lips which was infectious. "My sister would not be pleased if she would come to know that I was not addressing you in a proper way. I hope your sleep was better than the previous night." 

"It was. The bed was much more comfortable than the stacks of hay," replied Julie, and Ottis' eyes fell on the rope and the pot that she held in each of her hands. 

"Let me help you with that," he offered, taking the pot and tightening the rope around the pot's neck. He then threw the metal pot into the well, which made a splashing sound. He pushed and pulled the rope before drawing the pot out of the well with water in it. "There you go. You must not be used to working with these things."

"Just out of practice I think," Julie laughed nervously, and Ottis nodded at her. She gathered the water in both her hands and splashed the ice-cold water on her face, which was enough to wake her up from her earlier sleepy self. 

Ottis pulled out some more water for her, pouring it in the bucket so that she could use it later. After having breakfast, Opaline and Julie stepped out of the house to visit the market. While Ottis led Melanie to the forest to continue her training when aiming at targets. 

On their way, Julie couldn't help but keep an eye over her shoulders that they would be attacked by vampires again. 

"You need to relax. You will make yourself suspicious in others' eyes if you keep looking at your surroundings every now and then," advised Opaline, and Julie turned to look at her mother. 

"Aren't you worried that someone may attack you?" whispered Julie when they entered the market. 

"Not much," replied Opaline, the expression on her face calm. "If I keep worrying about such things, I will age faster than usual. I would like to keep my youth without having gray hairs soon," a burst of soft laughter escaped from her lips. "And I believe now is not the time for me to die."

Julie noticed her mother was truly a confident woman, and she was different than she had imagined her to be. Until the very last few days, Julie's surrogate mother Natalie, who had always been quiet, smiled at her, taking care of her. Someone who had died at the hands of her father. But her real mother, she was the opposite of it. Julie noticed how her mother was chewing something in her mouth while the woman looked around the place before her eyes fell on Julie. 

Her mother leaned towards her and said, "I don't think you will die either. So relax."

Julie smiled, and while they brought something in the market from another witch, Julie noticed someone coming from afar. The man was tall, dark-haired, his shoulders proud and his clothes much more refined than the other people in the market. 

Holy crap, Azazel Donovan, said Julie in her mind. 

Where was she supposed to go?! 

The first time when she and Donovan had met, he had no idea about her. She didn't know how much she was supposed to reveal herself, but it didn't seem like right now she could. 

Her mother stood in the front of the witch's shop, speaking to a man, "I told you I was looking for the colorless liquid, and I am ready to pay the price. The coloured potions often get us into trouble."

"Sorry, Opaline, but the last bottle of the colorless potions was sold yesterday," the man shrugged. 

"How about you try taking a look again and see if it's there?" 

"I have another set of bottles, which were sold by a fellow vampire. He didn't find it to be of any use," said the man. "Would you be interested?" 

"Why not," smiled Opaline.

On the other hand, Julie could feel sweat starting to form on the backside of her neck, where one drop slowly slid down her spine. Without waiting to tell her mother, as Donovan's feet were moving quickly, heading towards them, Julie hid her face with her hair before turning around and walking in the other direction. 

Julie tried to move her feet as quickly as she could, but right at the time, when she reached near the beginning of the alley, she crashed straight into someone. 

"Did you keep your eyes back in the house?" questioned the man, and Julie looked up and noticed it was Cillian. "You look nothing less than a thief." 

Julie turned around and saw Donovan had caught up to where her mother was. Cillian took note of this little action, and he raised his eyebrows in question.

"I uh, I don't do well in the company of vampires," Julie said in a low voice, standing behind the tall man. 

"So he is a vampire," murmured Cillian, before looking at Julie with a look of suspicion. "It feels more like you two know each other. If it weren't for Magnus, I would have dropped you right outside Willow Creek."

"Weren't you the one who brought us here?" reminded Julie, and the witch stared at her. 

"I regret doing so. Not only are we wasting our time on you, but it seems like you lack any particular skills of a witch," complained Cillian. 

"You don't have to tag along if you don't want to. I will let Magnus know about it—" Julie stopped talking when she was suddenly pushed near the wall, and a dagger was pointed at her neck. 

"I can tell something is very very wrong with you, and one day when I find it, I will make sure to expose you," came the light threat from the man. 

Julie didn't know why the man was hot and cold, but then it seemed like being a witch in this time period wasn't easy, and he was only being careful about his surroundings, she thought in her mind. 

"I don't think I will be here for you to do that," and Julie bravely pushed the dagger away from her neck. 

She stared at the man while Cillian stared back at her. "I am on La Fay's side, and no one else's." 

"There have been more attacks taking place on the witches since you appeared in Willow Creek," stated Cillian, taking his dagger back and putting it back in his pocket. 

"Which might be a co-incident," pointed out Julie, making her dress proper while taking a peek at Opaline and Donovan.

Opaline, who was waiting for the shopkeeper, now stood in the company of the vampire, "I did not expect to see you in here, Azazel." 

"Well, I did. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of you before I would start my day," came Donovan's charming words. Opaline smiled, the ends of her lips curling, and she said,

"Always with the charming words, aren't you?" she raised her eyebrow before adding, "You shouldn't be here. If the witches would find you sniffing around this place, they would treat you for an eternity." She then looked behind her, and a frown appeared on her face. 

"What happened?" questioned Donovan, and he took a look at the people who were around them. 

"I was with an acquaintance but she must have gone somewhere," murmured Opaline, looking for Julie. 

On the other hand, Julie ducked behind Cillian, and the witch who stood in front of her only turned that much suspicious about her intention. She looked up at Cillian and said, "You see... That man and I, we might have a future together and I don't want him to see me right now. It will change a lot of things, if it happens." 

"I thought the man was seeing Opaline. I don't know what you women see in him," commented Cillian, and this time it was Julie, who turned surprised. 

"You know about them?" asked Julie, and Cillian stepped away from her, starting to walk away from there. Not knowing what to do here, she quickly followed him.

"Why are you following me?" questioned Cillian in a nonchalant tone. 

"You didn't answer my question," said Julie, quickly catching up to him and walking next to him. 

Cillian was quiet for two seconds, and he then replied, "I see and hear a lot of things, Lady Julianne. And I prefer not to speak about it." 

Maybe Conner should meet Cillian and get some pointers when it came to not broadcasting gossip around the university, thought Julie in her mind. 

"Do you know how involved Opaline is with that man?" asked Julie, poking her nose into the matters that she was already aware of. 

"Has anyone told you that you are nosey?" Cillian asked her. 

"No, you are the first one. This is urgent, and I need to know. Please," she added the word so that she didn't come off to be impolite with this uptight witch. 

"If you are trying to gain a relationship from the man, I would advise you to step away from him. He isn't a man with good character," stated Cillian in a serious voice. When he took a turn to the next alley, Julie did the same. "I have already spoken to Opaline about it." 

"By any chance do you like her?" asked Julie, and the man glared at her. "I was just guessing." 

"Opaline, Ottis and I grew up together. I see her as my sister, and nothing more or less than that," said Cillian, and it made Julie nod. "The vampire seems to be a little more cunning than usual. But then Opaline knows what's best for her, and she's not a child. So I saw no reason to meddle myself into the matters of hers." 

So that was how it was, said Julie in her mind. 

A sudden searing pain erupted in Julie's head, and she fell to the ground, on her knees. 

"Ah!" Julie gritted her teeth. 

Cillian frowned, turning to her with a hint of worry, "Are you alright?" 

Light started to emit from her body, which spilt around, and it widened Cillian's eyes. He quickly pulled Julie to the side, covering her until she was alright. 

"What's going on?" asked Julie, pressing her temples. 

"Your body is reacting to this side of the land," whispered Cillian. "There are some parts of Willow Creek, which has magical properties, it must have tried to pull out your magic."

"Is that even possible?" asked Julie, squinting her eyes before shaking her head. 

They walked to a quieter side of the Willow Creek while making their way towards the La Fay's house. "It seems like Magnus did see potential in you. You have too much magic in you that has never been tapped before. You should be careful where you walk. If a human or vampire sees it, they will use it for themselves," Cillian warned her. 

Compared to the last few minutes, Cillian had turned slightly nicer. On their way back, she couldn't help but wonder where she heard the name, Blackburn. It had been bugging her mind as she was unable to place a finger on it. 

"Thank you for bringing me home," thanked Julie when they reached La Fay's house. 

At the same time, Opaline made her way back home, and she said, "I was hoping you were here. I looked around in the market and didn't find you, Julianne. What are you doing here, Cillian?" 

"I am leaving," murmured Cillian, and he left. 

"He's always ready to leave and be by himself," said Opaline, looking at Cillian's back, and her gaze then shifted to look at Julie. "Are you alright? I was worried earlier when I didn't see you behind me. You should have told me before leaving." 

"Sorry about that," said Julie with an apologetic smile. "I got distracted with something and ended up back here."

"That's fine," smiled Opaline, placing her hand on Julie's arm. "I was able to bargain for the new potions with its ingredients. Hopefully they will come in handy. I bought some fruits too. Let us eat them together. Ottis and Melanie should be on their way too." As they stepped inside the house, Opaline said, "We have a bonfire tonight for every person in Willow Creek and some others, have been invited to attend it from the other towns and villages. You and Melanie will need clothes for it." 

"Bonfire?" asked Julie, remembering the time of the bonfire she had with Roman. It felt like years had passed since the first time they had sat next to each other. 

"To the witches, it is an important night. Today the moon is full and going to be golden in the sky," informed Opaline. "It is just a little festival for everyone to enjoy with music and dance. There are still a few hours for it. Let us get you to practice your magic until then." 

Julie and Opaline sat in the living room under her grandfather's watchful gaze. She tried to practice magic. The ability was to disappear the candlelight in front of her with just her mind. This seemed, even more harder than what she had tried yesterday, and no matter how hard she tried, the flame didn't flicker even for a moment. 

It took two hours before Julie saw the flame waver, and it brought immense joy. Her mother sat at the side, knitting a sweater while she occasionally watched her see how she had been progressing. She said, 

"I think you are progressing wonderfully, Julianne. Your magic has been untouched for so long, which is why it is taking time for you to be able to manage it. Once you are able to control it, there will be nothing you cannot accomplish." 

Julie smiled, thankful for her mother's encouraging words. 

"I don't really know how to open the portal yet. I am sorry that I am not that much of help," Julie apologized to Opaline, who shook her head. The woman placed the needles and the wool on the side. 

"You have been trying to open it and it is enough for me. To see you try and understand how it might work in the future. Even if not now, one day I shall come to master it. I promise that," assured Opaline. 

"I am sure you will. You have a lot of potential, Lady Opaline," remarked Julie, and Opaline slightly frowned. 

"I told you to address me by my name. There's no need for formal words between us," said Opaline before a yawn escaped from her lips. "You said about Azazel, but you disappeared right around that time. Seems like you were quite shy," a soft laugh escaped from her mother's lips. Thankfully, she continued to speak, "He wants me to come take a look in the other town. Said there are other potions that are much better than the ones they offer in Willow Creek. But it is a two days journey back and forth."

"I see," murmured Julie. "Melanie and I are here, to help around if you are worried about it." 

Opaline then said, "Yes, I don't have to worry about my sisters at least. I am very thankful that you are here, and I hope you stay here longer, so that I can spend more time with you." 

Julie only nodded, without giving an answer, because she didn't know how much time they had. Was it a month? A week?

Julie returned to working on her ability. When the evening approached, everyone in Willow Creek had dressed themselves to attend the bonfire. Julie and Melanie borrowed Opaline's dresses, while their hair were tied in a similar fashion like the other women in here. Music was played on one side, which wasn't refined, but there was something about it that made one tap their foot or finger on their side. 

"This looks so good, doesn't it?" whispered Melanie to Julie. 

"This is one of the celebratory times that everyone looks forward to, Lady Melanie," informed Ottis. "It is also a way for people to mingle and keep the human and witch bond close, though the humans don't know about who we are, it is to prove that we are people like the rest of them." 

Opaline, who was on the other side of Julie, softly said, "It is also one way for couples to escape and to make time. Enjoy your time here, and have fun." 

Julie noticed her mother bring her finger to her lips, and she winked before leaving her side. Her mother was nothing less to a butterfly who was quick to flutter away. 

They walked towards the crowd, and Julie took note of couples dancing near the fire. It ranged from young ones to old married couples. Little children laughed and shouted in joy, playing at the sides. 

"It does feel like a festive time," agreed Julie to herself. She and Melanie took their seats at the side, watching the people. "How was your time with my uncle?" whispered Julie to Melanie. 

"It was better than I thought. I was worried that I was going to end up like you," Melanie's eyes fell on Julie's hand, which was still bandaged since yesterday. "Did you hear from Moltenore again?" 

Julie shook her head, "No, it was just once. I wonder how things are on the other side." 

"Surely chaotic," murmured Melanie, and she let a sigh escape from her lips. "I am more worried about Conner. That he will do something and bring attention to himself, while looking for us." 

That was another thing to worry about, thought Julie in her mind. 

"Donovan was there in the market today," Julie relayed the information and Melanie's eyes widened. 

"Did he see you?" and on her friend's question, Julie shook her head. "Thank God. As much as I don't mind this place, I don't know why but I feel anxious. Ten O clock, someone is coming," Melanie cleared her throat. 

Julie turned her gaze, and it fell on Cillian, who came to stand in front of where they were seated. 

"Ms. Winters," said Cillian in a serious voice, making her a little wary.

Why did it feel like he was going to ask her for a dance?