Sarah reached out to her daughter through a faint psychic link. The residual effect was deliberate, a way to elicit sympathy from the one she was about to betray. The plan was simple: to pretend she had escaped from Tabitha’s minions before they had the chance to corrupt her mind and body. She would claim to have been beaten to an inch of her life and had the wounds and bruises to prove it. Of course, it was nothing more than an elaborate veil of illusions, smoke and mirrors fueled by dark magic. Magdalene was with her, watching her every move.

“You better be a talented actress,” The Inquisitor said, “or I’ll get rid of you myself.”

“Jealous much? I know what I’m doing!” Sarah growled.

“So you say, but until we have proof of your success, words mean nothing. Displeasing our Goddess has serious consequences, and if you think you’re prepared for them all, think again.”

“Your threats are meaningless. You have no real power here. Tabitha’s bidding will be done, no matter what.”

Those were the thoughts on Sarah’s mind when she began the deception, feigning weakness and vulnerability and amplifying them to the max. The blood and bruises all over her body helped with the process. When the connection reached Lila’s mind, she was sure right away it wasn’t real.

The young woman was sitting alone on the training grounds, humming to herself to keep her spirits when the thin psychic link was formed. It was like a slight buzz coming from the back of her skull and tingling her brain. 

“Mom? Is that you?” Lila asked, reaching to her in the same mental frequency but being careful enough to disguise her thoughts and any clues about her current whereabouts.

“Yes, my dear,” Sarah replied, her mental voice barely above a murmur. “Are you okay?”

“I’ve been better, but I can’t complain. Where are you?”

“Close to home, but I’m in trouble, Lila. I need you. They beat me up really bad and my magic is depleted. Please… I need you!”

“Please take a deep breath and tell me what happened. The last time I saw you, you were…”

“I was overpowered, Lila. Tabitha’s thralls tried to take me to her, but I escaped. I’ve been on the run ever since, but my energy… it’s almost gone. I can’t heal and I feel like my strength is leaving me. If you don’t come soon, I fear… Lila, please…”

The anguish in her voice was almost convincing. Almost. A few weeks back, Lila would have believed it all without a doubt but she had grown and changed so much since learning of the existence of the sign of evil and the threat looming over the world she knew that it was borderline impossible to fool her now. The strong and powerful woman she was proud to call mother would never reach out to her like that even if the whole universe was on the brink of destruction. This was theater, pure and simple, and not that elaborate. Something was not right.

Could anyone else be listening in? Another one of Tabitha’s minions disguising their presence in the same frequency, hoping to intercept a stray thought or two? Fiadh had taught her to protect the innermost recesses of her mind and she was convinced that the shielding was perfect, so why all the drama? She wanted to know more but without letting her adversary know she was on to her, and so she continued to play this mental game of cat and mouse for as long as the psychic thread remained active.

“Tell me where you are,” Lila said, pretending to be worried sick.

“You know the place…” Sarah whispered. “Please, Lila. Come! If they find me again…”

Silence. The conversation was cut short and for a moment there was nothing in Lila’s mind but pitch blackness. She felt something slither on the back of her neck, an impression of pure hate that cared about nothing but senseless destruction. That’s what the sign of evil did to people, corrupting them from within and turning them into servants of chaos. Even from a distance, Lila felt the menacing grip of the thing that had warped her mother and clenched her teeth.

She pushed the foreboding presence away and took a deep breath. The attempt to trigger an irrational emotional response had failed but the danger was all too real. She needed to tell the others.

Lila got up and started heading to the center of the underground base. The area had grown a lot in the last couple of days with more tunnels stretching underneath the city and even more people pouring in. Through Fiadh’s connections, the Resistance movement was growing but they still lacked the numbers to go against Tabitha’s power. Still, it was good to see the evolution taking place. It gave her hope for what was to come.

As she picked up the pace on her way to where Fiadh had taken residence, a young redhead woman with a tattoo of a golden butterfly on her forehead came to her. The woman’s name was Nedra and she was the oldest daughter of one of Fiadh’s most trusted lieutenants. 

For many generations, her family had specialized in pure elemental magic, and every member had a tattoo of their spirit animal or the creature they loved the most. It was used as a focal point of power, almost like a reverse sign of evil. Nedra identified with the butterfly’s delicacy in life but she was also a skilled fighter when push came to shove. Underestimating her abilities was something her opponents never lived long to regret.

“Lila,” she said, smiling. “I was looking for you.”

“Is something the matter, Nedra?” Lila asked.

“Lady Fiadh requests your presence. We tried contacting you telepathically, but your mind was out of reach.”

“Yes. I was… meditating, and gathering my strengths,” Lila replied, not wanting to give the game away. “I’ll go to her now. Is she in her quarters?”

“No. I was asked to tell you to head over to Lady Alondra’s place as soon as possible.”

“I will, thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I hope your meditation was fruitful.”

“It was most enlightening, Nedra. Do you have time to train with me some more after dinner?”

“I’ll make the time, Lila. You better go now. It seems things are getting serious.”

“You have no idea…” Lila muttered as she said her goodbyes and descended into the heart of the base. Whatever they had to tell her was nothing compared to what she had just experienced.

* * *

“It happened,” Lila declared, piquing the curiosity of both Fiadh and Alondra. 

The three women were gathered in the latter’s quarters, along with Fiadh’s husband Derek. The gathering was a semi-formal war council to talk about strategies for the impending war. Too much hung in the balance, and especially on Lila’s shoulders.

“Sarah contacted you?” Fiadh asked. “When?”

“Right before I came here, and it happened as we expected,” Lila replied.

“She asked to meet with you?” Derek scratched his chin.

“Yes. She wants me to go pick her up. I’ve got coordinates to her supposed location. It’s a trap, of course. I just didn’t expect it to be so obvious.”

“Maybe that’s what she’s counting on,” Alondra muttered.

“Blinding me with the truth? That’s never going to work.”

“What’s the location?” Fiadh asked.

“A park on the outskirts of the city. We used to go there when I was a child. It can get pretty crowded, especially on the weekends. The choice of venue speaks volumes.”

“Agreed,” Derek weighed their options. “They’ll be ready to use the humans as shields to avoid a magical onslaught. As much as I hate Tabitha, it’s a solid strategy.”

“Only if we go there.”

“You mean you don’t want to?” Alondra asked.

“We already know it’s a trap, so why waste our time?”

“Leverage. It’s unlikely Sarah will be alone there waiting for you. We can capture those with her and use them. Enemy intel straight from the horse’s mouth is too good to waste.”

“And what makes you so sure they’ll talk?” Fiadh frowned.

“Because I’ll make sure they do. Get me in a room with them, give me an hour or two, and they’ll sing like canaries.”

“We’re not going to torture anyone, Alondra. Not unless there’s no other choice,” Fiadh said.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to win. The times demand it.”

“We’ll consider that if the situation evolves that way,” Derek intervened. “Lila, is it my understanding that you wish to stay put then? Why?”

“My mother has been turned,” she shook her head and tried to stop the tears from welling up. “I’d rather not confront her in this state. Is that so hard to understand?”

“No, it’s not, but if the enemy is willing to expose themselves, then we need to find a way to take advantage of it. I agree with Alondra that getting our hands on some of Tabitha’s minions could prove beneficial to our cause. We could also use the opportunity to test your mutation even further.”

“A real trial by fire,” Alondra grinned. “Yeah, that’s a plan! I like it.”

“You like everything that can result in chaos,” Lila shrugged. “I swear that sometimes all you want to do is watch the world burn.”

“Tabitha can burn in Hell, for sure! Come on, Lila. Let’s turn their trap against them. And if we capture your mother and keep her sedated, isn’t that better than letting her roam around doing that bitch’s bidding? You owe it to her to try at least, and we can use the opportunity to find out where Penelope is being kept, too.”

Lila listened to the older witch’s words with both doubt and respect. She had taught her so much in the last couple of days and was a force to be reckoned with. Her methods were often out of the ordinary, but no one could deny she got results. Perhaps something good came out of her strategy after all.

“What do you propose, then? What do you think we should do?” the young witch asked.

“Well, for starters, we should try to set up the meeting elsewhere to minimize human casualties if it comes down to a fight…” Alondra replied.

“Look at you, now worried about Humanity…” Lila smirked.

“I’m only doing it for you since you love them so much. If we’re able to do that, then I propose we have two teams on the field backing you up if something goes awry, one in your close vicinity and the other guarding the outer perimeter. We set up a barrier and duke it out inside, away from prying eyes.”

“Interesting…” Fiadh said. “Where do you think we should set things up?”

“Let me see…”

Alondra conjured up a map and projected a three-dimensional image of the area above their heads. “This is the park area, right?” she pointed to a circular verdant spot in the middle of the display. “And here, to the right, we have a mountain range and the coastline right past it. There are next to no people in this area, so it would be a good place for the meeting.”

“Are you sure?” Derek examined the map with curious eyes. “I see a lot of potential hiding places. They can ambush us in any of them.”

“Not if we scope out the area first. Give me a handful of warlocks and I’ll map every cranny on the ground and set up our defenses. We’ll be ready for whatever they throw at us, I promise.”

“We can do that… if Lila agrees to it,” Fiadh said.

“I’m not too fond of the idea, but I won’t object if you’re all on the same page. There’s just one problem.”

“Which is…?”

“If I contact my mother asking for a change of venue, then she’ll know right away that I didn’t fall for her ruse.”

“She already knows that, Lila,” Alondra clicked her tongue. “You didn’t go running like she wanted you to, so now they’re gearing up for a confrontation too as we speak. That’s what I would do. Try to reach out to her and speak the truth. Show her you won’t play her games and that you make your own rules.”

“A position of strength from the start? I thought I was supposed to be your secret weapon…”

“You can be both, dear. Tabitha is already after you for challenging her rule. Stand your ground and show her you’re not afraid of her schemes. It will only make her mad and more prone to make mistakes. The more distracted she is the easier it will be to take her down when the time is right.”

“Alondra has made her case, and although I have some reservations myself, I trust her judgment in these matters,” Derek concluded. We may have a shot at greatness here but only if we all work together. What’s your decision, Lila? Are you game or not?”

“I mean, sure,” the younger witch shrugged. “Come up with a plan and I’ll play whatever role you want me to play, but I won’t take any unnecessary risks.”

“You won’t have to. I got your back,” Alondra said.

“So do I and everyone else on these premises,” Fiadh completed. “Thank you, Lila.”

“No problem.”

“I’ll do the ground assessment right away,” Alondra rubbed her hands.

“Travel light and don’t let anyone on the surface see you,” Derek asked. “A small battalion will be ready to assist you in ten minutes.”

“Make it five so we can get this show on the road started sooner than later. It’s payback time.”

* * *

Meanwhile, Magdalene was teasing and threatening Sarah again, considering her recent performance. She wasn’t happy but she also didn’t know what she was talking about.

“What was that? I said you needed to be a talented actress and you blew it. There’s no way your daughter believed anything you said!” the Inquisitor snarled.

“And I already told you I know what I’m doing. It was never about believing me, you stupid bitch!”

“Then what was the point of the conversation? Were you even able to read her thoughts in the process?”

“No, but I found out something about where she’s staying at the moment.”

“Explain!”

“I did a small tracking spell inside the mental connection. The magic signal bounced a lot before entering her mind. Each environment has a different resonance and this one was unmistakable. They’re hiding underground.”

“Underground? Are you sure?”

“Positive, and the best part is that Lila doesn’t suspect a thing.”

“Why not?”

“Because this is one trick I never taught her. She’s a smart girl but I’m smarter. So, here’s what’s going to happen next: by now, she already told Fiadh and the others everything that happened. Though they’re expecting a trap, they will surely try to make it benefit them. We’ll have a rendezvous point soon enough and once we’re on the ground, I’ll pinpoint the exact location of their new hideout. Start getting your troops ready. We’re going to war!”

((to be continued))