Alex.J.Cobalt

“If these are your fabled ruins,” Unlana remarked, “I’m disappointed.”

Ewani ignored her captors remarks, drinking in the sight before her. The ancient stones still stood in tall columns, towering towards the sky from the depths of the basin. Once they would have held the worship platform, made from wood and iron. Now, they only held air.

“I mean,” Unlana continued, ignoring Ewani’s lack of conversation as she had done for most of their trip here, “this is no larger than the small temples on the outskirts of Rangek, and they’re still standing.”

Ewani glared at the other woman.

“You didn’t have to come,” Ewani tugged at the bracelet that was snug around her wrist, linked by magic to the twin bracelet that sat around Unlana’s, “you could have just let me go.”

Unlana laughed.

“And let the famous Green Witch out of her imminent prison sentence?” Unlana said, “you’re worth too much to ignore, Ewani, far too much.”

Ewani rolled to her eyes. Unlana could keep complaining about how she was only here for the money, but Ewani knew differently. She had heard the ex-adventurer mutter in her sleep of quests and adventures that would make anyone at the Inspectorate reach for their guns.

Unlana had her reasons for coming with Ewani to this desolate ruin in the middle of nowhere, and they weren’t because Unlana wanted to keep her role within the Inspectorate.

“So, what do you do now?” Unlana said, tapping her foot on the ground, “wait for someone to show up?”

Ewani smiled. So Unlana didn’t know everything about the Coven, that was something. Least Ewani could do would be to surprise her with a dragon.

“I ask them to arrive,” Ewani said, kneeling on the ground and pushing her hands deep into the dirt. It felt good to be home, after so many years. She could hear them calling to her, from the magic realm.

Sisters, she whispered with her mind, I am home.

She heard Unlana scream in shock as the ground erupted within the basin.

Welcome home, sister, a voice whispered in her mind, I see you’ve brought a visitor.

A new convert, Ewani said, opening her eyes and looking up at Unlanna as the other woman’s expression turned from shock to wonder at the portal opening up in the centre of the stones, I think.

The voice chuckled in her mind.

You were always the one to pick the challenges to convert, Ewani.

Alex.J.Cobalt is a fantasy writer from the UK. When she’s not working away at her fantasy novel series, she posts free flash fictions on her website, along with regular blogs about writing.

Featured Image Credit: Jamil Kabar on Unsplash

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