Chapter 44: Ruby Pendant

Immediately I was ushered into the cottage without a second glance outside to the heavily pouring snow surrounding the darkness of the night. Ash walked over to the fire and chucked the logs inside; I helped out by flicking a single flame from my finger towards the logs setting them aflame. He never reacted once he watched the flames arise especially considering the flame sprung forth from my finger tip. "I see you've got your powers under control," I lifted my hood down off my head removing my coat in the process keeping a fixed eye on him "Not all of them but how do you know about my powers?" he looked directly at me with the 'are you seriously asking me that?' look on his face so I didn't encourage anymore talk about it. His home was different to the structure of Yvette's; the place seemed more open and spacious. There was a lot more room to move about in, the fire place was huge keeping intact the cobbled structure, the sofa was stretched out wide across the room almost looking as if it could be made into a bed and there were plants everywhere when my eyes would glance around. The whole room was lit in complete candle light setting a warm atmosphere across the room making everything feel homely. Ash gestured to the sofa across from me so I gladly sat within in as he headed towards the kitchen it didn't take him long to come back in holding two empty glasses placing them in front of us "You didn't fill them up?" I stated the obvious at him. Of course he smiled genuinely at me; keeping his sole focus on me immediately the glasses filled up with water. I didn't need an explanation for warlock gifts; I just believed he was showing off especially as he gave me a smug look. "I need your help," I got straight to the point because there was no need in holding back; my hands were placed delicately within my lap as I kept my posture held straight and turned myself to face him directly as he sat in the single chair next to me.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up actually?" was his reply making me raise an eyebrow in puzzlement. It was unclear to me how he knew I would come to him when I didn't know I'd be heading in this direction myself. "But I'm afraid I don't have what you're looking for, you're ruby necklace I don't have it," I rested back in the sofa keeping my gaze locked onto his "So I'm right with what I'm searching for then, the water element is locked inside my necklace." Ash carefully picked up one of the glasses and rested back in his chair as well "Yes you're right, but I don't have it and I have no idea where it is," I felt my adrenaline plummet at the sound of those words. That was my first and final lead shattered, how was I supposed to find it now? "How did you know that's what I'm looking for Ash?" curiosity took effect as my mind wavered away from finding my necklace but onto something else entirely "Unless, you've known about me for a while..." I carried on speaking with curiosity. The smile on Ash's face expanded as he took tiny sips of water from the glass "How?" I finalized my questioning as he kept staring at me waiting for his chance to let the vocals escape his throat. "When you live in a kingdom kike this one, a warlock has to keep on top of the history. I knew from the moment I first met you Willow what you were," my eyebrow raised enhancing the confusion I'm feeling as he spoke to me. There is no definition to what I am, I'm not gonna be put down with a label because so far the ones I've been given are things such as dangerous. Ash was mesmerised by my puzzlement I could tell because that's why his tone was slow and careful, he wanted the agony of all my questions to be prolonged but I didn't have time for that. The only way to make the time speed up would be to play along even though it killed me to do so.

"And what's that Ash? What am I?" the interest in me was growing and it was showing as I leaned closer towards him away from the back of the sofa whereas Ash just stayed in his place staring back at me "You're a witch." My eyes widened in shock, amazement I wasn't sure or was I just starting to get fed up because first I'm claimed to be a werewolf and now I'm being claimed to be a witch, I can't be both it just isn't possible plus I hold the power of elements there's no indication to identify me as a witch. "You think I'm lying?" I laughed slightly at his question "Well yeah, I believe your messing with. It was a mistake coming here, you can't help me," I pushed myself up from the sofa and started to head for the door to exit. "A warlock can identify a witch anywhere Willow, the same vice versa and that's what you are it isn't anything to be afraid of," I spun back round to look at him as he was now standing strongly obviously trying to convince me everything he was saying is the truth. I looked up into his eyes and I could see the sincerity and truth radiating out from them but for some reason I didn't want to believe it. "I control four elements that doesn't make me a witch," but what I say doesn't matter to Ash as he still shook his head at me ready to carry on his explanation "You do control the four elements but you always control a power of your own and with all that power combined you can control whatever you want to. You can form spells even I can't and spells that I can as well as use the elements in their own natural ability. You're able to combine all that power and control whatever you want, that's how I knew you were a witch Willow."

I lowered my head because for a chance I was willing to not be the one who was right for a change but the damage hurt like hell. "Why can't you believe it?" I looked back at Ash as he moved closer to me, his eyes full of questions, his frame constricted wanting to find out more from me "You believe in magic, the four elements, werewolves, warlocks why can't you believe this?" there was a long pause between us as we just stared at each other deeply with nothing to say but that was only due to the calculating look inside his eyes. His stumble backwards slightly indicated it all especially from the warning look in his eyes "Unless you don't believe...you don't believe in any of this do you?" there was nothing that could be said between us now that he wouldn't already know "Willow, why are you doing this if you don't believe in any of it?" now my gaze directed back onto him as he seemed hollow and far away to me now as I spoke "Because if there is a chance that this is all real and it's not in my head, then there's a chance I could save my brother and a mass of people in the process but if it is real my life will never be the same. I know I wanted adventure in my life, but not like this and now I can actually see why I should have appreciated my life when I had the chance to because if I could go back I would change all the choices I made so I wouldn't be here today." It was true. If I could turn back time, I would have made a different choice I never would have rejected all those suitors instead I'd actually live a life worth living without having the thought that all my friends could die any second of any day due to this madness. For some reason I longed for that life back instead of wondering whether I'm part witch or part werewolf or just everything god damn thing in this universe.

I grabbed my coat and put it back on ready to leave since the atmosphere in the room just got incredibly tense and the air got thick making it hard for me to breathe. Since I knew Ash wasn't able to help me, I knew there was no point in me staying here with him. I had other pressing matters to get on with. I turned to go but not long after he reached hold of my arm, I spun back round to look at me and this time when I looked at him his eyes had a full on smile inside them "Just because I don't know where you're necklace is doesn't mean I won't help you look for it, sit down I want to try something with you," I kept my coat on this time and went to take a seat from where I last sat and waited for Ash to make a reappearance. When he did he came in carrying a knife, my curiosity was spinning when he came and sat on the other side of the wooden table which was in front of me holding the knife pointed downwards. "Place your hand on the table for me with your fingers spread out," I did as I was told without paying any attention to why he was holding the knife as I gathered he was holding it for a very good reason. "What I'm going to do is old warlock trick, it was a way to regain memories without using painful spells but it works nicely for identifying a single memory. I need you to think about your necklace and only think of that, watch the knife as I move it paying your full attention on the knife and hopefully you should see something," I nodded at him and started picturing the ruby pendant in my brain just as Ash started to stab the knife in between my fingers at a slow rate but very slowly would he start to increase the speed. I let my eyes follow the motion of the knife while letting my brain stay focused on the ruby pendant and sure enough a vision started to flood through my brain "Willow...Willow tell me what do you see?" Ash's voice now sounded like an echo to me as I found myself surrounded in a new environment.

The cobbled stone walls of the fireplace in Ash's home vanished, I was no longer sitting on the sofa with Ash in front of me instead I was surrounded by numerous snowy trees in the morning sunrise. The snow was sparkling off the tress all around me and the sight was mesmerising. I looked across from me and I noticed a small figure standing in the distance so I casually made my way towards them. As I got closer and closer I appeared to be standing at the edge of a lake which circled the whole perimeter. A few metres away from me a small girl sat; she had long blonde hair which fell neatly down her back and her eyes sparkled a great sapphire blue. Her clothes shown to be a long sleet velvet burgundy dress followed by a small cape; her hands were clutched together tightly but she held them closely to her chest whispering something towards her hands but I couldn't quite hear what she was saying because her voice was so low. Carefully, her feet burrowed into the ground forcing herself into a standing position; immediately I recognised who this girl was...it was me. It was as if in an instance all the features of my younger self heightened so I could identify it was me. It felt strange seeing my younger self stood in front of me, I was glad I didn't call out to her because that would have been slightly awkward getting no response back. Her hand unravelled and within her hand the ruby pendant lay; moving closer towards my younger self I realised something was glowing in the pendant as if something was moving around inside it. Automatically, I knew what was lying inside; the thing I've been after for weeks – the water element.

Within an instance, I watched as the pendant was chucked far ahead of me and my younger self landing deep inside the lake. The pendant hardly made a splash as it hit the water but within a second it vanished from sight down at the bottom of the lake where no one would be able to find it. I watched as the small girl identifying me reached back down to a lower level and placed her hand on the side of the lake. It only took a blink to find the whole lake to be covered in ice; the girl stamped her foot down on the ice making sure a crack wouldn't appear and once she was pleased with her job she disappeared from sight as did I finding myself back in Ash's home. I looked around and found I was sat back on the couch, the cobbled fireplace was staring back at me and the knife Ash was holding was now placed down by the side of us. I felt extremely strange, as if I just travelled into the past but in reality I entered a memory. "Did you see anything?" Ash looked deeply at engaging for an answer "I know where it is."