Chapter 18

" You might think the temptation would be what you desire then you would be wrong. The cave brings out your innermost fear; that side of you that makes you a human. Your weakness would be brought out to the light, there and then, you would have to fight your fears alone. It would be difficult, you could end up worse than you entered if you don't practice how to control your mind and emotions now. " He explained stressing every word emphatically like they shouldn't ever be forgotten. 

" Go have some rest, you will definitely need it." Be said to me. " And Elsa...I'm sorry about raising my voice during those period I was training you. I don't see you as a loser, sometimes I wish I could help you carry your burdens, but they are yours to bear alone. I can only put you through, and I have been doing it wrongly. I see how Anna does it, I promise to give it a try." He finally said as I turned to leave.

My heart almost jumped out of my chest out of excitement. I thought of giving him a warm hug but I changed my mind about it, before he becomes annoyed and change his mind about his new training technique.

" Goodnight" I said with a smile and he responded.

Shortly after, Anna woke up with a morn of pain.

" Aww...it still hurts." She made sure to hear it loudly so that Raphael would hear.

" What is it?" He asked rather kindly this time.

" My leg feels heavy and bloated. I think it's a bleeding inside, please do something about it." She pleaded softly so as not to wake the others.

" You have to go see an healer, maybe something permanent can be done about it. But for now, sit still, I will go get some leaves. I sighted it a while,go while I was  keeping watch. " He replied trying to prevent her from using the leg since she already stood up and was about coming to where he was sitting earlier. 

" Don't move" he repeated sternly.

Walking just a few distance from there, he plucked a few leaves and returned back to where Anna is sitting. He placed her legs on his, chewed the leaves and spat them on her swollen legs, massaging them softly. The joy Anna was feeling at that moment can not be explained. She was grinning from ear to ear and didn't even realize when Zaria sat close to her until she spoke.

" What happened to her leg?" She asked curiously.

" O my goodness, you startled me." She accused.

" I've been sitting here close to five minutes now and it's funny you didn't sense or see me as a warrior. " She scoffed.

" She needs an healer, this is just a temporary measure." Raphael explained still massaging the leg.

" And what's so funny? I kept watching the way you were smiling." Zaria asked rather not nicely.

" I wasn't smiling, I was trying to endure the pain and that's why it looks like I am smiling." Anna quickly thought of something to cover up her real reason. This people didn't trust her now, so it would be a problem if she shows even a little of the feelings she has for Raphael.

" Whatever" Zaria rolled her eyes.

" There is a healer down at the village, we can go there as soon as the first light comes up." Raphael added before placing her leg on the ground. 

*****

" The wound is so deep and yet unseen. It will take one who has mastered the art of healing for years to be able to fix this ." The old woman healer said after observing the leg thoroughly. " But don't worry, you've gotten to the right place." The woman added before standing up to grab a basket which was beneath a table, so she could get some leaves from her garden right in front of the house.

" You must now excuse us as she the process s requires all her close off." The woman told the rest of the group who agreed and stepped out.

" Why don't we just leave her here since she would be better after the woman is done with her? I really don't feel comfortable with her around anymore." Zaria complained with a murmur.

" We can't even train Elsa properly with that girl around." Zaria added frustrated, she was tired of hiding, he wolf wanted to run, wanted to stretch his limb. She wasn't use to staying days without transforming and it was eating her up real bad.

" Leave her here?" I, Elsa whispered back not liking the sound of Zaria just said. " We would not leave her here!" I hissed getting really pissed. Better than both of them combined, Anna had made me very comfortable with her training skills and I was beginning to like how simple she made fighting.

*****

" What is that in your neck my dear?" The old healer asked recognizing that the necklace was worn for impersonation.

" It was a gift from an old friend" Anna lied.

" I see..." She woman exclaimed softly certainly to buying that Story.

The necklace was made with powerful sorcery, and it would take alot of strength to invoke the chameleon spell; a creature which was known for it's ability to disguise. Every potion, spell, magic was gotten from one part of nature and it took another part of nature to counter the effect of this thing. The woman could not understand why this girl was putting on the appearance of another, and their was only one way to find out.

" Remove everything you wear my dear" the old woman instructed now ready to perform some healing ritual on her.

Fiona obeyed secretly praying that for one reason or the other, Raphael would have to come in to see an hot naked her. That should leave an image in his mind he wouldn't forget quickly, an probably would make him take serious notice of her if he was yet.

" That includes your necklace." The old healer added. 

Fiona was reluctant for a while, not sure of the magic of the necklace was still as strong as it was the day she collected it.

" Let's continue without it" Anna suggested.

" Alright" the woman agreed.

" Lie down" she instructed.

She began applying black substance all over her body, paying closer attention to the area of the leg that was hurt.

After a while, the old women laughed and Fiona could only begin to wonder why I he woman was laughing until she opened her eyes to see her real self standing in front of her. ' Did the woman just put on her; Fiona's original weredragon appearance? Or is this the result of my imagination?' she wondered as she stared in shock.

" You can fool them, but you can't fool me" the old woman who was now looking like Fiona said laughing, swaying her waist exactly like Fiona, and even the same seductive smile she always had on her face.

" What are you talking about?" Fiona asked trying to deny it all at first.

" You are the daughter of the wicked king of the weredragons. What do you want here? I could as well snap your neck and kill you immediately, you blood suckers." The old woman sneered.

" Ha...ha..ha" Fiona laughed removing her necklace now and turning into her true self. Anyone entering the room will think they were twin but it was only powerful magic at work.

Wrapping her claw around the old woman'x neck, Fiona growled with her eyes in flame and her skin all orange.

" The difference between us is that I am the real Fiona, and so I have all the powers of a weredragon but you are just an old witch." Fiona hissed tightening her grip around the woman's neck.

" Change back now to your real self, I hate hurting my own body." Fiona sneered.

" I would silence you forever." She said before slicing the woman's head from off her body. It felt so good to be back to her old self that changing back was becoming a problem as she didn't want to.

" Knock, knock," healer can I come in? Raphael's voice echoed from outside.

Startled, the first thing that came into her head was to wear her necklace that transformed her back to Anna. Seeing the woman's corpse, she removed the necklace before burning the woman's body with her fire breath to ashes. She wore her necklace back , cleaned the blood and jumped on the bed to act like she was still unconscious.

Raphael pushed the door opened and found a naked Anna on the bed. Not sure of what to do, he took a cloth hanging on the wall and covered her up. He stood up to observe the wound on her leg and it looked as good as new. Tapping Fiona to wake her up, she only responded with soft moans.

 " Perhaps the sedative he used on her..."