Chapter 42

**Merianna**

“And...?” I asked while standing in the doorway of Noch’s office with a muscle starting to jump under my eye. “What on earth is going on here?”

“A meeting of course.” Noch said nonchalantly as he drank from a goblet.

“Is that so?” I asked while I took in the scene in front of me.

“Of course it is deary. I might not look it but I’m a close confidant of councilor Ferina. My name is Junnie, nice to meet you.” Said the devastatingly dressed woman in the office space while sipping from a wine glass in her pristine clutches.

I couldn’t take it anymore… “Where in all your lives does a meeting require the visitor to sit on your lap?!!!” I yelled at Noch.

He just smirked as he snaked his free arm around Junnie’s trim waist. “Close friends are always welcome to sit on each other’s laps!” He laughed.

Junnie didn’t even slap his hand away. She just giggled right along with him while leaning into his space some more.

“Are you adults never shameful in this place?!!! I swear!” My face was probably red at this point. Not just that, but the bodice of Junnie’s red dress was ridiculously low for some reason. Why? Why did she have to drag it low enough to risk something falling out?! Why on earth did she have to look like she had just stumbled out of a Brothel??? Why did her black hair have to look like it had been thoroughly messed with? My thoughts were going in so many circles that I almost didn’t hear what she said next.

“Is she still a virgin?” She asked Noch.

“She is indeed. Poor thing can’t manage to nab a man even if her life depended on it.” He replied with an exasperated tone.

“MY LOVE LIFE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU!!!” 

“What love life? You have to have one first for me to be able to wiggle myself in there!” Noch’s guffaw nearly had me jumping over the clutter in his office and giving him a shock strong enough to cook him where he sat.

“You can be glad that I don’t feel like killing a stranger while aiming at you right now…” I said with an evil smile stretching my face. Just imagining him being burned to a black crisp was enough to lift the sides of my lips.

“Oh my! She really IS a spitfire!” Junnie said with her fingers over her mouth and her eyes pulled open wide while observing me.

Even Noch was blinking in my direction. “She is indeed, but I must say. The black hair really does make her look more evil. She looked a lot more innocent with her white blonde locks.”

“Her hair is white blonde?! How intriguing why is it now black.” She studied me some more while I stood there stewing in my anger.

"Oh we had to dye its colour for an important bounty."

Before I knew it, I was being enveloped in folds of red silk and warm soft skin. “My what a cutie!!! How long will it take until the black washes out?! I would love to see her with her natural hair colour!” 

“Wha- What are you-?!” I shouted while trying to pull away from the woman’s monstrous grip. “Let go of me! I don’t know you, and right now I don’t WANT to know you!”

“You can give up Merianna. Once she sees something or someone she likes, it’s almost impossible to escape her clutches. Literally!” Noch said with a grin as he downed the rest of his drink.

“I refuse to be treated like this!” I twisted and turned to try and see if there was any way for me to get loose at all, but every time an arm was free or my body found some sort of space, I was instantly re-wrapped.

“Oh Noch! She’s adorable! Where on earth did you find her?” Junnie gushed unperturbed while I was huffing and puffing in my attempts to get loose.

“Found her and her sister deep in the woods to the West side. They have stayed here ever since.” He simply answered.

“I’M RIGHT HERE!!!” I exploded. My explosion didn’t have any bite to it though, not with Junnie’s arms crisscrossed over my body, and her voluptuous gifts resting on the top of my head. This woman was frighteningly tall… to tell the truth, she was frightening altogether. 

“We know darling. You’re just so adorable looking while you’re riled.” Junnie said from the top of my head and squeezed me tighter while doing a wiggle.

“I’m NOT ADORABLE!”

“Arasule and Jasnine would say differently though.” Noch’s laughter was becoming uncontrollable.

“Noch! Get her OFF OF ME!” I pleaded. I never pleaded with him, but this was a special case.

“Bwahahaha!” He laughed even harder at my expense. If he toppled any further to the left he would be falling out of his chair.

Groaning in the back of my throat I decided not to care anymore, be she a Council member’s right hand or not. I didn’t like being treated like this at all, especially not when I had important information to hand over. Mind you Noch was the one that said that the information was of great importance. Yet here he was sitting and laughing like nothing in the world could phase him in the slightest.

I reached into myself and felt for the sizzling energy that was now a constant buzz underneath my skin. Lifting it to the surface, I gave Junnie a good jolt.

“Ouch!” She yelped and instantly let go of me.

“I’ve had it with the two of you! I came with information and you carry on as if nothing at all is important at this time!” I yelled at Noch while making sure that I was out Junnie’s reach.

“She sure is a handful isn’t she?” Junnie asked Noch while she seemed to try and analyze me.

“She is indeed.” Noch sighed.

"It's almost like getting bitten by a cute puppy." Junnie pouted at me.

My ire came rising back up again, but Noch cut me off just when I was about to let loose again. “So demon spawn. What is it that you have heard through the grapevine?”

Heaving a sigh I watched Junnie walk over to the couch on the right and settle herself in.

“Well, lucky for you, I didn’t hear anything via the grapevine, I actually heard it from the horse’s mouth directly so to speak.”

“Oh? Do go on. Remember the fate of your weapon-to-be hinges on the type of information you can supply me with.” 

“That wasn’t in writing! You said information for a weapon! You didn’t mention how good the information has to be for the weapon to be created!”

“It was in the fine print.” Noch said with a dark smirk.

“Well that print must have been extremely small then because I couldn’t see hide nor hair of it.”

“You said that you have information deary?” Junnie asked. Noch and I both became silent and focused on her as the air in the room suddenly grew serious. Her aura had done a complete about-face and was now practically palpable in the atmosphere.

“I do. And it’s not pleasant in the least.”

“Please elaborate then love. You will not have any more interruptions from now on out.” She said while skewering Noch with a look, which he only shrugged at.

“Well, I happened to sneak up on a group having a gathering in one of the local inn’s rooms. They were clearly the elder witches of the coven, and they have been in close contact with the Hunters in the surrounding area. They have come to the conclusion to hand over one of their witch children, that are close to being born, over to the Hunters to ensure that they will not be targeted.”

Junnie and Noch grew extremely still. If I thought that the air in the room had gotten serious before, it had now become as heavy as the gravel over a deep grave.

“This news is more unpleasant than I had thought it might be.” Junnie said darkly.

“It’s extremely unsavory for sure. The sad thing is that this is most likely not the first time that something like this has happened.” Noch uttered just as severely. He then turned his attention back to me.

“Thank you for the information Merianna. Your weapon should be ready within the week. You can leave now.”

I frowned deeply at this. “I want to help. I want to be in on everything that has to do with this.”

Noch raised his eyebrows at me.

“This is serious business little one.” Junnie said disapprovingly from where she sat poised across from Noch.

“I’m aware of that. I would still like to be a part of it regardless.” I said with all the determination I could muster under their judgemental stares.

Noch narrowed his eyes at me and then threw himself back into his chair. “It’s your hide on the line Demon Spawn. Just know that if you fall behind you’ll be on your own.”

While Junnie gaped at Noch, I jumped in excitement and kept chanting - yes, yes, yes…!

“B-but Noch! You cannot seriously be considering this. She looks barely 19 summers!” Junnie sputtered.

“I’m turning 16 summers this year.” I said triumphantly with my hands on my hips.

That revelation only sent Junnie into even more of a tizzy. “No! You are staying FAR away from this situation young lady! You might be marriageable age, but I will not condone sending someone this young to an early grave!”

I snorted. “I’ve already been there and back multiple times. This won’t be anything new.” I said, remembering the Bounty with Janine and the run-in with the Rippers, not to mention the way I became a witch in the first place.

Noch chuckled at the accusing look that Junnie shot in his direction. “What am I to do? The little demon has been here at the order since she and her sister were pulled out of the forest when they were about 12.”

Junnie swung her incredulous gaze back to me. “The forest outside of Fog’s barriers?”

“No, the forest in the middle of the barrier.” Noch answered. When all she swung his way was a glare, he caved. “Yes, yes, the forest surrounding this place. Although they were found quite deep into the forest. They both managed to escape a rampaging Wraith and I happened to stumble across them while hunting.”

Junnie stared at me wide-eyed. “A mad Wraith you say… at 12 years of age?”

“Like I said, it wouldn’t be the first time my life was in danger.” I confirmed while rolling my eyes.

Junnie turned back to Noch with a peeved expression. “I shudder to think of you as a parent.” I burst out laughing as Noch sputtered excuses.