Gwanhoya, floating above the point Alabaster Weald, but still cannot perceive anything. It has been hours now and she still has not moved just floating on one point.
"What can it be that she desires?" Catherine asks Genteel.
"I do not know, maybe something happened with Divine! I hope she is alright!"
"Do not worry, she is fine. The god assured you she is going to be alright if she leaves. I am sure he will protect and guide her
"Do not worry, she is fine. The god assured you she was going to be alright if she leaves. I am sure he will protect and guide her. Right now, we need to focus on this." she helps her friend cheer up whose face is sullen, assuring her.
"Thank you, and you are right let us wait and see if our guest would care enough to come in, and then after greet them properly." Genteel smiles holding her stuff with her right hand.
"Now, that is more like it!" the confidence has returned and Catherine smiles looking at her friend's focused face.
"Buoyant! Summon every able person to the front, I have a feeling we are going to need every inch of power we have!"
"Yes, my Queen!" he departs to carry out the order.
"It is good to see you trust in him after what he did."
"Everyone deserves a chance at redemption, my friend and even he does too!"
"Hopefully, he will not bite you again in return!"
Genteel sighs, "Hopefully, he will not do that." she says in a low voice.
In an attempt to see, Gwanhoya raises his hand up and blocks the sun with darkness but still she cannot see anything. Lowers her altitude thinking of a new plan to open the barrier.
"Do you think she will be able to open up the barrier?"
"No, she might be powerful but even an arch-demon can open this barrier!" Genteel offers assurance with confidence.
But even so, dread is engraved in them, the creature that stands before them strikes terror without it even wanting to.
"So, that is what Monalisa is looking like these days!?" she laughs softly.
Genteel puts on serious scary face and looks at Catherine, "That is not funny!"
Catherine looks down and with her hand wipes her face, "I know, sorry."
"My queen!" Buoyant calls approaching, "I have gathered those who are able to fight!"
"Good! Thank you! Set them in tactical positions and tell them to get ready, for a battle might occur if she somehow manages to breach the magical barrier!"
Her mind is uneasy, thinking of what might have occurred and if Mukura is alright or the demon killed her. Catherine watches her friend closely shatter from the inside with a care worn face slowly developing on her face.
She gently grabs her shoulder, "She will be fine do not worry much, you need to have faith in the god. If he said she will survive then she will survive and you shall see her alive and well." she assures her friend trying to restore her faith.
"Every time I see her, I always have to give her up! When I gave birth to her, I was told to let her go and I only saw her occasionally and she returns to me under the control of some demon and that's when the god decides to make another appearance?"
Genteel expresses her disappointment, tears slowly chase each other down her cheeks. Her happiness once again snatched from her. And her friend embraces her to sooth her. The pain of a mother is one Catherine is yet to understand for she is yet to conceive and give birth but seeing her friend in pain paints the picture of the broken heart. The heaviness of having to throw your child towards danger.
"Wait, Mukura is your daughter?" Buoyant asked with a surprised expression on his face, "But I thought you said your daughter died!?"
"Not now, Buoyant!" Catherine blocks him from saying anything else.
"Why? Because she abandoned her child? Not once but twice now!" raises his voice so the others around can hear.
"I cannot believe this! In a short period of time, you after your first attempt to turn the people against her, now you are at it again?"
"The people deserve a leader who does not hide things from them!" the confidence in his voice increases speaking with his chest up front.
Catherine laughs, "And that is you?" her tone sounds insolent.
The ones who have been called up to fight turn their attention away from the demon right outside the barrier and gather around to hear what the commotion is all about.
"Here they are, the people deserve to know the truth!"
"What truth? It is her personal matter! Know your limits"
"Really? Are you not going to tell them?" he presses on.
"Tell us what!?" one of the soldier's shouts from within the crowd.
"That the little girl Mukura is the one who slaughtered our brethren. She was sent here by that demon over there to kill all of us and your queen here let her go after she did such a horrendous thing!" his confidence is increasing.
Genteel remains trapped, pondering on her thoughts in her mind.
"That is impossible she has always been such a sweet girl who could not even harm a fly!" a woman shouts out of the crowd.
"Yes, true!" others support her words.
"But did you all know that Mukura or Divine is Genteel's child proclaimed dead after birth?" he pauses, "That is the reason why she hid the fact that she is the one who killed all those you buried! The children, the wives, the husbands, the brothers and sisters you dropped tears for yesterday, she is the one that killed them all."
"She was being controlled by the demon and you it!" Catherine stands firm defending her.
"Who knows it?"
"You do!"
"I do not recall being told such a thing!" a devious smile appears on his face.
Genteel snaps up out of her melancholy prison, "Catherine, stop! If they want him to rule over them, let it be so. I will wash my hands off the responsibilities."
"Genteel!" she calls her name softly.
Genteel hands over the magical stuff to Buoyant and leaves. Catherine follows her. Buoyant has finally got what he was striving for. The power of the throne of the white witch. He raises it to show his people. A lot of them rejoiced and a few others turned to follow Genteel and Catherine.
"Instead of losing our brethren with senseless fighting, our first order business is to negotiate a truce with the demon so that it will spare our lives!" he turns and hit the ground with the stuff and a way opens.
"I, your ruler will go fourth and negotiate with the demon!" the people cheer and he turns, takes a deep breathe.
In front of him she appears and terror strikes him. He gulps saliva.
"Knock, Knock!" she smiles looking at him directly in the eyes, "Thank you for letting me in!"
She lays her hand on his cheeks and gently moves it down to the throat and grabs it lift him up.
"You are not the supreme white witch!" she looks disappointed, "Ohh well, guess I will enjoy playing with you all until she comes back!"
Slowly burns his body from the throat spreading all over and drops his body. Looks at it for a little while.
"So weak," she contorts her face to a sad puppy look and transfers her attention to the crowd that is dreaded, "Who is next?"
They all move back slowly looking at her. She smiles emitting fire and dark smoke from her body.
"Come on, at least make it fun for me! Run around, scream and sacrifice others to survive. Although everything I just said is pointless, none of you are going to survive this!" she speaks in an insolent tone in her distorted voice.
"Let me do a count down with my eyes closed!" she places her left hand on her eyes and begins counting down from ten.
She opens her eyes to see after counting to six and no one is there anymore. She looks down on the on the ground in the crispy burned hands of Buoyant is the staff of the white witch.
"That is a cool staff! How does something so delightful end up in the hands of such a loser?" she speaks to herself, "Well mine is cooler but I do not mind adding that to my list of play things, "She reaches down to take it.
A bright light comes from the staff, negates her out of Monalisa's body and she forces herself back inside and backs up from the staff in terror looking at the staff returning to normal. This is something she did not expect to happen, she leaves to begin her hunt.
Genteel is still trapped in her thoughts, contemplating on the unknown pertaining her daughter and by her side, her friend, consoling her, trying to offer assurance that her daughter is alive and well. And the villagers who did not follow Buoyant.
The cries of the villagers being burnt outside is becoming more audible. Catherine runs outside to what is going on and to her eyes surprise, a large part from the side where Gwanhoya was outside the barrier. And a dark smoke rising forming a cloud, she observes to see what is going to come out of the dark cloud.
The people who followed them join her to see what is going on. The dark cloud continues to gather and Gwanhoya having fun hunting the people in distress. An eerie feeling Catherine has as she turns to go back inside.
Kneels in front of Genteel, places her hands on her shoulders.
"I know you must have a lot on your mind right now but can you please put that aside or else everyone in this forest will perish! Our homes will be destroyed. Please Genteel, you worked too hard to build a safe haven for your people and now that demon is killing everyone are you telling me you are going to let that thing out there wipe out everyone?"
Genteel does not answer lost in her thoughts.
"Do you think she can defeat that demon out there?" one the women around ask doubtful of Genteel's abilities.
"Yes, but she needs her magical staff!"
"You mean the one she gave to Buoyant? How are we going to get that?"
"That is what I am working on right now!" she answers in a harsh tone.
She continues to try and reach Genteel. Shaking her while screaming her name. But she does not respond.
"How are you going to find out if she is still alive or not if you already down without any confirmation of her death? And if you really think she is dead, get up and get out there and stop the one who killed her because that same thing that you think supposedly killed her is out there and about to completely take everything from you!" she shouts shaking frustrated.
"Catherine!" she calls her softly.
"Yes, what is it Genteel!?"
"You are annoying!" Genteel smiles turning her gaze towards her.