'We're almost out of here,' Claramay said, dragging me by my hand.

Talking with her all through the way, I didn't know when my hands found hers and we were making our way through the dark, hand in hand.

With one last tug, I was, out from the dark into an open space which looked like a clearing in the forest. The trees were dreary grey, gnawed and worn out, hollowed from inside. Bats with their wings folded hung upside down.

'Is this Grey Meadow?'

'This is the Woods of Darkness. The Grey Meadow lies beyond this. Now are you ready to face your worst nightmare?' she turned to me.

'Are you? I mean, you have terrible memories.'

'I'll survive,' her voice was grave and surprisingly her eyes turned grey and the vibrant colours of her dress began fading away faster, making it steely blue.

'What's this?' I was horrified.

'Vibrant colours are a taboo in the Grey land that lies ahead. Even our appearances need to show that we're toxic.'

A vulture screeched somewhere in the sky.

I gulped, 'I don't think I want to face that world. But then there's Poppy.'

'Yes, but before you go in, you need to promise me something.'

I looked at her in apprehension.

I'm very bad at keeping promises when it's something involving the people closest to me.

'Promise me two things. First, you'll keep your mouth shut! No unnecessary exchange of words. People don't chat in Grey Meadow. It's a dull place.' she paused.

'Sounds like prison itself. I'll choose the dungeon over this any day. And the second?'

'Run. Run for your life. Save yourself if we get in trouble. Remember that we're the ones with magic. You're vulnerable here. When I tell you to run, don't look back. Any call you get from behind you, think it as the call of the devil.'

'But you?'

'I can take care of myself. I have done that all these years.' she snapped.

There was no point in arguing because I knew exactly how stubborn Claramay could be when she wanted. So I nodded instead.

'Fine, now let's go...'

We started our walk through the forest. It was nearing evening. There was an eerie silence, broken now and then by the shrill cry of a cicada. A wolf howled in the distance.

'We need to get out of here fast,' she mumbled. 'Before the bloodsuckers wake up.'

'Bloodsuckers?'

She pointed to the bats hanging there like poisonous fruits. 'They feed on our blood!'

My stomach churned at the thought, but I was a man and I needed to be strong.

Thorns tugged at my hands and feet, grazing my skin, drawing blood. The brambles blocked our way as if hiding the Grey Meadow from intruders.

Claramay used her powers to clear the way. I was too busy focusing on not getting blinded by the spikes of wood.

As the forest thinned, Claramay slowed down and turned back, giving me a meaningful look. And then she gave a leap.

I followed and we landed on rough grass. The blades of grass were covered with ash and the entire horizon seemed to be millions of shades of grey.

The clouds hung heavy and dark.

'Will it rain?'

'No. It's always overcast here. We don't get the sun. The sun will burn the old and fragile immortal Vešterkas.'

'Immortal! You all are immortal?'

'Yes,' she hissed. 'And what did I tell you about talking?'

I immediately closed my mouth and locked away the many questions which cropped up, for another time.

I started following her along a narrow dusty road leading to a silhouette of large grey buildings in the distance, which was probably the city.

There were no flowers and no sound of birds or animals.

My heart was pounding so hard that I could almost hear it beating.

'We're entering the gates of hell!' she hissed.

Just at that moment, a cloud of flaming red appeared before us and the entire path became laid with wine red petals. All the petals caught fire in a fraction of a second and made a wall of fire before us.

A dark shadow appeared in the fire and it seemed to be approaching us.

Claramay deftly moved in front of me, guarding me from the view.

She waved her hand and muttered a spell. I felt my muscles stiffen and I turned to stone.

I couldn't move my limbs and couldn't talk.

Why would she trap me like that in the enemy land, completely at their mercy? Anyone could cast a spell and kill me.

Was it what she wanted always?

Was everything she said back in the cave, a well-concocted lie?

After all, she's a Vešterka too. Maybe the sprites made a mistake in identifying her.

My trail of thoughts was interrupted by a person gracefully stepping out of the inferno.

She had wild red hair and her fiery red dress made a stark contrast to the blue of Claramay's.

I looked into the newcomer's eyes. They were grey and they looked as if they were hypnotized. She was almost walking in a trance.

And she was my sister!

'Poppy!' I tried to shout, to draw her attention to me, but I was muted, paralyzed.

I tried to struggle against the invisible forces binding me.

To lose her now after being so close would be nothing short of a tragedy.

But she didn't even cast a glance at me before turning to Claramay.

'What are you doing outside the gates again, Sapphire?' she sounded pissed.

'I went to visit one of my relatives in the Blue Groves.'
Claramay was calm as usual.

'Relatives, huh!' Poppy rolled her eyes. 'As if I don't know you've been to Violet Hollow. One of these days the chief will catch you red-handed and that will be your end. You've been fooling him since long — not anymore.'

The venom in her voice made me feel chilly. That cannot my sister. That wasn't Poppy. So cold, so unfeeling, so deadly...

'Ruby, I don't care what you think or you don't. Your views don't matter here, whatsoever. And as for Emerald, he owes me a lot. So if anyone is to be thrown out, it would be you.' Claramay gave her a frosty look.

Her nose flared up in defiance, but Poppy kept quiet.

'Fine. You're alone, right? I hope you're not hiding one of the sprites in your dress.' Poppy looked over her shoulders.

Was I invisible?

Because Poppy didn't even see me. Her eyes scanned the entire place, but never lingered on me.

'Yes, I'm alone and if you're done with your shit, could I go in? I have a hell lot of work to do. I don't sit idle, unlike you.'

Poppy made a face and turned away.

Claramay waved her hand and suddenly the blue petals started raining on the burning red.

'Vrochí, that's what I said,' she beamed at me. 'It's simple you know, just that I'm trying to get a hang of performing spells without uttering the incantation!'

'Vrochí?' I couldn't resist the question.

'Our incantations come from Greek just like our origin. Vrochí means rain.' she clarified, shaking her head in amusement at my baffled expression.

We turned to the site of the mini-battle.

The fire was dying down, leaving a thread of smoke, curling up and rising to the sky.