59. The Limbo

**Third Person’s POV**

Maeve looked between the candles and the big, black wolf in front of her. In the back of her mind, she counted the seconds as the animal studied its prey. There was no way on God’s green earth; she could fight or kill the beast. But she had to try her best to ward off the danger if she wanted to see Xander alive.
And every cell in her body wanted nothing but Xander.
Taking on the impossible task, she channeled all her strength and focus on issuing another spell—the spell of fire—but the werewolf dodged far too quickly. Perhaps, the animal had a sharper reflex than she comprehended.
As soon as the wolf sprinted and gained momentum, Maeve was ready on her feet as well. Adrenaline kicked in, and she ran like her life depended on her speed. Quite literally, it was. And not just her life, but the love of her life as well.
Despite the witch blood in her veins, Maeve was still human. And humans can’t outrun a werewolf.
She knew it far too well, which was why she caught a moment’s breath and cast another blazing spell that lit a path of the fire. It barely injured Janelle’s wolf, but it surely slowed her down. And that was all the momentum Maeve needed.
But this was no cat and mouse game that they were playing. And time was running out. Even if Maeve managed to save herself, she had no clue of the fight Xander was engaged in at the moment.
A ferocious howl chased behind her. Maeve did manage to hide behind a small cliff, barely holding her balance as an idea struck her.
Once again, she hauled in a long breath and chanted a powerful spell, one that almost drained the last scrap of energy in her body, and cried out, “Ignitus!”
Janelle’s wolf caught Maeve’s scent and was about to pounce. But the ring of fire engulfed her right away. Yes, magic might not work on the wolf, but it would surely affect nature. And the fierce blazing heat was just enough to keep the wolf out of Maeve’s way.
*Or so she thought.* It seemed that nature had another plan for her, though.
Maeve was about to resume her witchcraft, striving to establish the mind link with Xander, when a bolt of vicious lightning struck down out of the sky. A large tree to her right exploded into a shower of sparks and blinded her senses.
In a flash, Maeve found herself teleported somewhere she no longer recognized. And it wasn’t just her; it seemed the lightning affected Janelle as well as she somehow got transported into the human form.
“What the fuck is this now?” Janelle cried out, both in fury and confusion. Her wolf had already sensed that something was wrong; it just didn’t know what.
“No, no, no. Not again,” Maeve mumbled incoherently, perusing the room in growing fear. She might not have recognized the well-lit room with wooden furniture and ancient sculptures, but she quickly registered the peril.
“What have you done now, witch? I swear to the Goddess, if this is one of your dirty tricks, I will skin you alive.”
“Will you shut up for a second?” Maeve screamed back. “We are trapped in the limbo! And trust me, it has nothing to do with my magic.”
“Limbo?” The she-wolf echoed.
“Welcome back, Maeve.” A new voice floated into the room as the women whipped around. “I see you have brought company.”
“Who are you?” Janelle stomped forward. “Another witch?” Little did she know how right she was.
“Oh, I am better than that.” The woman smiled gracefully and then announced in a high voice. “I am the Creator of the supernaturals.”
Janelle was too bewildered to form words, and Maeve beat her to it. “Ametrine. What is the meaning of this?”
“Your naivety reminds me of my youth,” Ametrine smiled, slowly walking around them in a circle. “How easily one could sway between bravery and foolishness! Did you really think that you could fool me?”
“I have done no such thing,” Maeve gritted impatiently, and the desperation was too prominent in her voice. “Ametrine, I have to go back. I have to help Xander!”
“I am sorry, my dear.” The witch shook her head, almost mockingly. “I am afraid that is not a choice I could grant you at the moment.”
“What the hell do you want?”
“I already have what I want. I asked you for help, but it looks like you have different intentions.”
Janelle could no longer relate to the conversation and ran headfirst like the feral beast that she was. “Enough of this drama,” she yelled and attempted to strike down Ametrine. But the ancient witch retaliated with a greater force and an absolute power of her own. She cast an unknown spell and tormented Janelle to the point she was writhing on the floor, screaming to be let free of the pain.
“Stop! Stop!” Maeve cried. “What are you doing?”
Satisfied, Ametrine pulled back and smirked down. “How can a wolf kill me when I am the Creator? Besides, the power of the supernatural, the kind I have created on my own, wouldn’t work here.”
“Ametrine, I need to get back,” Maeve implored helplessly. “I need to complete the spell, otherwise…”
“…Xander would die?” The ancient witch finished for her and laughed. “I told you, Maeve, that defying my wishes has some consequences. But you were not willing to listen to me. Now, rest here while you still can. You are not getting out of this spell anytime soon.” Ametrine turned around and left, closing the door in the wake of her departure.
Minutes ticked by as Maeve and Janelle paced through the room, inspecting each object as carefully as possible for a way out of this hellhole. Even the bickering died down as they put their heads together for an escapade. Sooner or later, they suspected, that situation would only turn worse.
While Janelle turned the room upside down for a key or iron bar, Maeve looked for the talisman. She remembered when Xander told her that every witch requires a talisman to bind a powerful spell. If she got hold of the object, she could easily escape the limbo.
But the rough sound of the door invaded her attention. She looked up to see that Janelle was still struggling against the lock.
“There’s no point banging the door,” Maeve sighed tiredly.
Janelle turned and narrowed her eyes. “Do you have any better ideas?”
“Yes. We have to find the talisman that she used to anchor us here. Or someone in the other world has to find our bodies.”
“Other world?”
Maeve nodded. “We are neither dead nor alive. It’s just our souls that exist in the limbo. Our bodies are still in the forest.”
“What do you mean by that? And when did I even shift back?”” It was difficult for Janelle to put two and two together.
Maeve gaped for a second and then almost jumped with delight. “Oh, my God! Our bodies. That’s it,” she exclaimed, almost trotting over to Janelle. “The wolves can track our scent. And once they find us, I am hoping Xander would know what had happened.”
“And how the fuck will they track our scent, huh? You set fire on the very track. Fire kills the scent, so it will be very difficult to catch a trail.”
Maeve thought for a second. “What about blood?” she asked. “The smell of blood cannot be wiped off easily, right?”
“Yes. The smell of blood is strong. But can we even bleed when we are trapped here?”
“I can try a spell, but it’s going to hurt. Both of us. Can you manage that?” Maeve risked.
“Why should I trust you?”
Fair enough. “Because right now, I am not your enemy but that woman—I mean, that witch,” Maeve told her truthfully. “She can go to any length to fulfil her evil desires and trust me, the only thing that stands in her way is me. Do you want the wolves to find us? This is the only way out.”
Janelle shook her head incredulously. Whatever hatred she bore in her heart for Maeve was replaced by survival instinct, and even though she did not trust her completely, she believed her words.
With a defeated sigh, she finally gave in. “I must have gone crazy to agree to this…but fine. As long as we have a chance of getting out.”
“Thank you.”
The two women joined hands as Maeve shut her eyes and chanted the spell. Though she was a novice, her memory was as sharp as a sword. She knew the spell by heart, and even without many trials, she got it right.
The sharp pain flowed through their bodies, and the magic was working. Just a few seconds more…and the stream of blood would cover the forest floor. It should be enough to track their scent.
But when the door burst open, all their high hopes shattered like a fragile piece of glass. Ametrine stormed inside the room, raging like an angry Goddess, and immediately blocked their spell.
“I knew you would be stupid enough to do something like this,” she snarled at Maeve.
But she was not in a mood to cower. “You have nothing, Ametrine!” She roared back. “There is no way you can claim your power without me. So you can either get us back or I would rather die than help you.”
The high-pitch laugh of Ametrine reverberated around the room like a gong. “You have already helped me, my dear Maeve. You have already awakened the magic in your blood and you have been marked by a werewolf. Two out of three conditions have already been fulfilled. Now, all I need is a vampire and a witch to perform the ultimate spell and regain my power.”
Maeve choked on her words. “You are bluffing.”
The vicious witch smiled once again and looked over her shoulder at the door. “Esmeralda, please come in. Perhaps, you can make her understand better.”
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***A/N: Well, that’s the twist for today. What do you think will happen next? I am too excited to know your thoughts on the chapter! ***