Chapter 178: Book 2 Chapter 35

Julia

 

Leopold chased Marko across the meadow with fluttering wings. The two raged carefree, while Flora gave Julia some money. She wanted to go with the two servants to one of the refugee villages to run errands for their journey. From Finja they had received rope, mats on which they could sleep, and also a small, sharp knife. Julia hoped to get blankets, a pot, and a tarpaulin in one of the villages. Maybe even everything for a real tent.

There was a lot on offer at the markets, but there wasn't always what she was looking for.

"And you're taking care of yourselves?", urged Flora, handing her a few bags and a basket for shopping.

"Of course. We always take care of ourselves!", assured Julia her.

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and not a cloud could be seen in the sky. Finn and his mother visited Gisele and Lavinia. Maleen had solemnly delivered the invitation. She had stormed into the tent as if it belonged to her and had almost fallen on the table. Marko had just been able to catch her.

Leopold had meanwhile caught Marko and sat triumphantly on the back of the scolding wolf. "Flying is cheating!", he complained. Julia grinned while Flora rolled her eyes.

"You really want to take them with you?", she murmured.

"Yes. I do!", confirmed Julia, amused. She said goodbye to Flora and then collected her boyfriend and wolf laughing.

After a somewhat longer journey, the three arrived in a good mood at the largest refugee village. The market square was full of hustle and bustle. The market had been rebuilt after the centaur attack. Julia talked to merchants and got everything she wanted. The money was enough. She even had something left to buy some sweet waffles for Leopold, Marko, and herself, which an elderly lady offered.

"I love waffles!" Marko smacked contentedly. "Wonderful!"

"That's right." Leopold grinned and kissed Julia's cheek. Icing sugar stuck to her.

"Leo!", she protested, amused. But Julia did not wipe away the sugar.

"Will I get a kiss too, Leo?" Marko blinked his eyes innocently. Leopold ignored him.

They left the village, having done all the shopping, and made their way back. Meanwhile, it was early afternoon and the first clouds appeared in the sky. Colorful butterflies flew past them. Marko tried to catch one.

The butterfly won.

"What's going on there?" Leopold pointed to a group of centaurs who appeared to be arguing with two women. The two women held two horses by the halter. Julia couldn't believe her eyes.

"Cleo!", she shouted, dropping her basket, and running to her sister. "Cleo!"

Cleo turned to her in confusion. She shook her head in surprise and tears gathered in her eyes. "Julia!"

Julia fell into her older sister's arms. "What are you doing here? How?"

"You know this woman? Child?", asked one of the centaurs. Julia had seen him fleetingly at the big meeting. "They say they are refugees. But they don't look like refugees. Their clothes are too clean, and..."

"This is my sister. And...", her gaze fell on Charlotte. "Her best friend."

"Wife, not best friend", Charlotte corrected with a smile and stroked Cleo's back. Sobbing, Cleo hugged Julia tightly.

"Wife?" Julia looked back and forth between the two. "Since when?"

"Not for very long." Cleo kissed Juliet's hair. "I was looking for you! You and Peter."

Meanwhile, Marko and Leopold also came to them. Leopold carried Julia's basket in addition to a bag. He and Marko threw nervous glances at each other, and Marko growled softly. The centaurs stared skeptically at Cleo when they noticed Marko's anger.

"Princess Cleo?", murmured the wolf. Cleo let go of Julia and looked at him like a strange insect.

Immediately the centaurs scratched with their hooves. "So, they are not refugees!", said one of them.

"No, they are not." Julia looked up at her sister. "Why are you here? Why did you look for me? Will you bring me back?"

"If they are not refugees...", another centaur muttered, reaching for a spear. Julia immediately stood in his way.

"This is my family", she said. "And I am a refugee! I'll sort it out. Thank you!" She called for the earth below her and let chunks of earth float around her. "You can go. Thank you for your efforts, but everything is fine here."

Cleo grinned appreciatively. Charlotte reached for her hand.

"I see", muttered the centaur Julia had recognized. "We are retiring! You can stop using magic, child."

The centaurs turned around and galloped away. Julia turned back to her sister. Marko and Leopold exchanged triumphant glances, but Marko continued to look at Cleo and Charlotte suspiciously. Leopold didn't seem relieved either. "Why?", Julia wanted to know. "Will you bring me back? Cleo? And Peter?"

"No." Cleo shook her head. "Unless you want to go home... But..." She sighed and hugged Charlotte.

"Are you here voluntarily?", she asked, looking at Leopold. "Or did the elves force you?"

"Maybe we'll discuss this at home?", Marko suggested with a quiet growl. Julia nodded and stroked his arm so that he stopped growling.

"I'm here of my own volition, Cleo. Come with us. We live with a tribe of centaurs. The centaurs you two have just met are not among them. Peter is here too."

"With his husband", Marko sang with a grin, but he looked at them warningly. "We are all one big, happy family. And we protect each other!" He showed his teeth and growled again.

Charlotte got frightened and the two horses protested nervously.

 

Cleo

 

The two servants eyed Cleo and Charlotte skeptically. Cleo followed her sister, who was talking the werewolf out of growling, through the tall, dry grass of the steppe. They walked along a long trail. It was very quiet. Only a few crickets chirped.

Julia had hardly changed. Only her clothes were different, and her hair had grown longer. It fell in gentle waves over her back. She wore simple, practical clothes in bright colors.

Charlotte stroked her horse, which was a little nervous due to the unknown surroundings. In addition, the werewolf worried the animals. After some time, they saw a village of tents. A small, black cat, came running up to her and stroked Julia's legs purring. The horses reared up frightened and scratched with their hooves. Cleo and Charlotte had trouble calming them.

"Hello Josef!", said Julie and handed her basket to the elf to take the cat in her arms and press a kiss into its fur. She looked briefly at the panicked horses and sighed. "We're back. And I met my sister Cleo."

The cat's gaze wandered to Cleo and the animal hissed indignantly. "Josef!", reprimanded Julia, kissing him again. "Excuse me", she said quickly to Cleo. "Also, because of the horses."

"Juli! Did you get everything?" Peter rushed towards her, carrying a white-orange cat in his arms, and blinking in surprise when he spotted Cleo. He handed the other cat to Julia and hugged Cleo too. Peter wore a fiery red robe with grey trousers made of shimmering fabric. His hair was long, but otherwise, he didn't seem to have gotten any older.

"What are you doing here?", he asked as Julia kissed the second cat.

"I’m searching for you", she said. "You have cats now?"

"Yes", Peter said with a smile. "Josef and Fiete. They're no real cats."

Cleo looked at Julia, who was pressing her face into the second cat's fur. The animal purred contentedly and meowed for a second kiss. "No real?"

"They're dragons", the werewolf muttered.

"Dragons?" Shaken, Charlotte pressed herself closer to her horse.

Cleo was stunned. "Dragons?"

“They are part of the family", the elf replied. "Come, princess. And wife I don't know. Let's go to the tent."

You are reading story WITCH – The Revolt at novel35.com

At that moment, the little black cat jumped out of Julia's arms and turned into a handsome boy with long braided hair and a ribbon in his hair. He looked at Cleo through glowing yellow eyes. "I know your smell!", he hissed. Cleo's gaze fell on sharp teeth. "You were there! In the elven village, right?"

"What?" Cleo blinked. "Where?"

The boy hissed. "I can only remember little, but your smell! I remember that. Why are you still alive?"

"Fienchen, don't." Julia pulled the boy to her. The other cat had made himself comfortable on her shoulders and watched the whole thing purring relaxed. "It’s okay. Cleo is my sister."

Fienchen?

"The elven village?" Charlotte looked at Peter. "Is the boy a black dragon?"

"Boy?" The dragon hissed. "I'm not a boy. My name is Josefine! And, yes. I'm half black dragon!"

The horses snorted and put on their ears.

"Julia!" Cleo wanted to pull her sister away from the dragon, but now the other cat hissed as well. No. The other dragon. Her horse neighed in shock and reared up again. Charlotte grabbed the halter and held both horses.

Julia stroked the hissing cat over the head. "Let's go in. Fiete and Josefine will be nice, won't you?" The cat purred and the boy hissed but nodded. Peter grabbed the cat from Julia's shoulders and, laughing softly, pressed his face into his fur.

A little later, after the horses were tied to the tent and taken care of, Cleo and Charlotte sat in a large tent at a low table and drank tea with Julia's second family, as she had introduced everyone. Elves, werewolves, and dragons. Cleo couldn't believe her eyes.

Julia told her about her new life and hugged Cleo every now and then. They sat next to each other. On Julia's other side sat the elf, Leopold, and Cleo learned that the two were a couple. Just like the two werewolves, Finn and Marko. The second dragon, Fiete, had taken the form of a young man and was sitting next to Peter. The two seemed very close.

"I don't understand all this...", Cleo murmured. You fled with the elves?"

Julia sighed. "And you attacked their village!"

"It was an order." Cleo shook her head. "I almost died... There was a dragon..." Her gaze wandered to the dragon girl, who hissed and showed a split tongue. Cleo moved closer to Julia and pulled Charlotte towards her.

"That was Fienchen", Julia said quietly. "It was a terrible day. Peter almost died, too. Fiete saved his life and we all started a new life here."

The elf's parents, Flora and Hanno, sighed. Hanno looked at Cleo angrily. And then there was the mother of the second werewolf servant, Elodie. The round of introductions had been unpleasant. The werewolves had growled at Cleo and Charlotte, and Leopold's parents didn't want to let them into their tent at first.

"Peter and Fiete are married now!", the other werewolf servant announced. Marko had put his arm around Finn's shoulders. "Oh yes... Congratulations on your wedding, Your Highness. Why don’t you sit here with a magnificent man? I thought the Queen had strict ideas when it came to choosing a partner."

"I don't care about magnificent men...", Cleo murmured and looked again at the dragon girl. She was looking at her with hungry eyes. Cleo moved somewhat behind Julia. This girl had killed her shadows and probably other soldiers.

"Fienchen!", reprimanded Julia quietly. "Please. Be nice."

"But it's so funny! Look! She's hiding behind you!" Josefine surged forward and hissed at Cleo. Startled, she ducked closer behind Julia. The girl sat down giggling. "Too funny."

Fiete pulled her to him. "Enough, sweetie."

She rolled her eyes and Julia grabbed Cleo's hand.

 

 

Peter

 

Cleo and Charlotte got the girl's room. Julia, Finn, and Josefine wanted to spend the night in the boys' room. But Flora insisted that they split up. She scolded something about hormonal teenagers. Therefore, Julia and Josefine were now sitting in Peter and Fiete's room, where they would spend the night.

Peter heard the three boys joking around next door.

He hadn't expected to see Cleo again so soon. She hadn't said much about why she was here. Apparently, she had fallen out with her mother. Charlotte didn’t say much. With a pale face, she had just stared at the dragons. 

Peter wanted to ask Cleo about what had happened the next day.

The sun was slowly setting and it was getting dark in the tent. Josefine had turned into a cat again and let Julia cuddle her.

"Shall we fly?", asked Fiete suddenly. He was lying on his stomach and dangling his feet in the air. "I would like to fly. With you, Peter."

"Oh yes!" Josefine took on human form and, now, sat on Julia's lap, who laughingly wrapped her arms around her friend. "I want to fly too! With Juli! Alright?" Josefine leaned against Julia and looked at her with a grin.

"Gladly!", agreed Julia.

"I want to fly too!" Leopold held his head in their room and grinned. "My wings need movement!"

"But it's getting dark...", Peter protested. “Can you all fly in the dark?"

"We see well in the dark! Unlike elves!" Josefine stuck out her tongue at Leopold. The elf returned the gesture mockingly.

Shortly thereafter, two huge dragons stood by the river. Peter stroked Fiete's wings. Should he really? He wanted to fly with Fiete, but the dragon was so big...

Leopold was already fluttering above them and told them not to dawdle. Fiete grumbled. It sounded like a laugh. Then he nudged Peter with his wing.

"And it’s safe?", asked Peter anxiously. The dragon rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Peter!" Julia stood next to him and patted him on the back. "Just hold on tight. Then, nothing will happen."

"Ok..." That convinced him less. He took a deep breath, then climbed onto the dragon's back. "Ok. I'm sitting."

"A good start!" Julia winked at him, then hurried to Josefine.

"How stormy is your nephew?", Peter whispered to the dragon. Fiete snorted.

Julia climbed effortlessly on Josef’s back and the dragon lifted hab. Leopold followed the two at first, but he gave up soon. He landed next to Fiete. "I don't see enough!", he grumbled. "Is everything all right with you, Peter?"

"No?"

"Then you two should fly off. Before Juli and Josef fly away!"

"Well..." Peter clung to the rope he had attached to Fiete's neck. Joses also had a rope around his neck. The dragons hardly felt it. "I'm ready..." He closed his eyes nervously. Fiete spread his wings and started moving. With a jerk, he lifted off the ground and Peter pressed himself even closer to him.

The wind blew whipping towards him. He froze and pressed himself as tightly as possible against Fiete's warm body.

"Open your eyes, Peter!" Julia cried. Her voice sounded close. Confused, he opened his eyes and saw Fiete's wings and the shadow of another dragon. How high they were, he could not tell. It was too dark.

"Juli? Is everything all right with you?", he shouted into the darkness, clutching the rope.

"Of course!", replied his sister. "Everything is great for me. And for you?"

"I'm cold! And... I'm afraid I'll fall! The wind!" He closed his eyes again. Fiete grumbled. His whole body vibrated as a result.

"You won’t fall", cried Julia.

But Fiete was already approaching for landing. Only when Peter felt the dragon land, he opened his eyes again. Just in time to see Josef landing next to him. Julia stroked his soft wings. The dragon snorted contentedly.