Chapter 124 - Maggie says - Part 3

"Her name is Violet, you witch," I scowled, not liking the way she addressed her. 

"And my name is Maggie, you wolf," she, too, scowled. We glared at each other for a good minute, clearly not liking being in each other's presence, but had no other choice but to be here. She needed my money, and I needed her knowledge. "You'll need your Violet to stop the ritual," she repeated. 

"Why?" 

Though I'd intended to inform Violet of what I discovered today, I had no intention of taking her with me to the village. I didn't want to put her in any more danger, knowing full well that dealing with black witches would be dangerous. 

There's a good chance that she'll offer to help, but I'd rather have her stay safely in the manor. That way, I'd be able to deal with all of the problems with ease, knowing she was safe at home. She'd given me tremendous help while we were investigating the church and the villages, so there was no need to put her at any more risk. She could rest ȧssured and leave the rest to me. 

"Because you won't be able to see magic if not with her help," she rolled her eyes, as though telling me that it was an obvious answer. "I'm sure my dear sister will put up a magic barrier all around the village on the day of the ritual because she doesn't want any uninvited guests interfering with her plans."

"The same barrier I asked you to put up around here?" 

"The very same one," she nodded. "She'll most likely trap the people inside while also blocking people from entering, and that barrier won't let anyone in unless you have magic. Magic always gives too much leeway to other magic bearers, just you know," she snorted.

Shit. Does that mean Violet is the only one who can prevent the ritual from taking place? Then we'd better be prepared and stay inside the village before the witches put up a magic barrier. That'll be a better option than allowing Violet to enter the village alone and unprotected. We don't even know how many witches we'll be up against, so we definitely can't afford to let our guards down. 

Underestimating those witches will be the first step to failure, and I'd rather die than lose to them. 

"Don't be so worried," she laughed, noticing the obvious concern on my face. "Should you be late, your mate can go in and break down the barrier, allowing you and your lackey to enter."

As if shedding light on darkness, I asked, "How?" 

"She'll need to find the magic stones that were used to put up the barrier," she answered, making herself at home by brewing her own tea. "Then she'd have to destroy them for the barrier to be broken. The magic stones will be spread all throughout the village, but I'm sure that it'll be easy for her to find them if she has a keen nose and eyes," she continued, fixing her gaze on the flying cup and tea-pot. 

"Then, all you have to do is to look for the witch who is leading the ritual. You have to prevent her from completing the control spell—or from starting the ritual at all—since those who bear her blood will immediately turn to her puppets once she's done with the spell." Finished brewing her tea, she drank it in one go. "Should you find her, kill her." 

"Isn't that obvious?" I shrugged. "Don't you go crazy on me when I kill her later."

"I won't," she laughed, but it was not a laugh filled with humor. She stared at her empty cup for a few moments, then stood up, readying herself to leave. "Her name is Mary, by the way. And she looks nothing like me."

"So she doesn't look like an old hag," I noted, doing it on purpose to irk the witch. Maggie forced a smile, her lips twitching upon hearing. I heard her mutter under her breath, "I swear I'll kill him one day." I suppose I should wait for another century.

Maggie, not forgetting to bring Mr. Wickham along with her, turned towards the door. Though I didn't stop her from leaving, she stopped and asked, "This absolutely is none of my business, but what the hell did you do to your hand?"

"What?" 

"I sense a hint of black magic," she said as she turned around to face me. She then raised her left arm to show me where she saw the magic in my hand. Following her, I raised my left hand but felt nothing wrong with it. "Pull your sleeve up." 

Even though I didn't appreciate the tone of her voice, I did as told. I pulled my sleeve up, showing her that there was nothing wrong with my hand. But she didn't seem to think the same. 

"You..." she stared at my hand, frowning. "Did you get bitten by snakes?"

"I did," I replied, definitely weirded out by her unexpected question. What did she mean by sensing a hint of black magic on me? The snakes? "I got bitten by two snakes while I was searching for a lead on the witches' hideout. Why?"

Hearing it, her eyes widened, and she quickly walked over to me to have a closer look at the bite marks. Her fingers reached towards the bite marks, and her frown immediately deepened when she touched them. Hell, the expression on her face told me that whatever bit me was not a normal snake.

"You're doomed," said Maggie.