"Then there should be no need to cover your face either," at Penny's question Bathsheba smiled.

"It is good to be safe than let something slip through. You never know when something stops working. Yes?" she said taking a seat herself and asking Penny, "Not many create charm stones now because the creation needs cooperation which is lost now. The white and the black witches don't get along as you know. So what shall we try today? Would you like to turn people into toads?"

Penny looked slightly intrigued as she asked, "It is possible?"

"Anything is possible. Who would you like to turn the toad? All you need is-" Bathsheba went on before being cut off by Damien.

"I am sure that you already know that is not why we have come here," his sharp eyes looked at Bathsheba who only smiled at him. 

Bathsheba nodded, "Of course," she could see Penelope's shoulder slump slightly in disappointment. making her curious as to who the white witch wanted to turn into a toad. The only people the girl was around was in Quinn's mansion, so it must be someone from there which made her smile further, "Though we are from the same stem, the black witches and the white witches, we have different characteristics but when it comes down to the abilities, it isn't too different. But every witch has his or her own power-"

"His?" asked Penny in doubt making the black witch pause her words momentarily.

"You do know there are men of our kind. The term witch is used for both genders," Bathsheba cleared her doubts to continue with her words of knowledge, "What we need to do is check the source of what you fall into before narrowing down the ability you might have." 

"How are we going to do that?" Penny could see that the crystal ball which was previously used had its cover back on. It appeared that they wouldn't be using it.

"I hope you have enough blood if your master isn't using you as his blood bag," Bathsheba pushed the things that were on the table. Clearing every single thing from there while lifting and placing the crystal ball down delicately. She picked up something, to place a large parchment that was folded and rolled. Unrolling it with both her hands, she placed two stones on either side of the large parchment which was made of concentric designs and intricate mapping on it. There were some strange writings which Penny had never seen before, "This is the language of the dead."

"The dead?" 

"You cannot communicate with people who have died with this. It is dead because it is. The newborn witches who came after the great grand witch have no inkling about it. Similar to the humans and the vampires marking years, we have a few markings of our own that are used to distinguish the time and period," Bathsheba and asked for Penny's hand before placing an empty gla.s.s which looked like a battered silver utensil.

Damien then said to Penny, "There have been very few witches who made a mark of difference in the history of the four lands. One of the people in the marking is Lord Delcrov's mother," Damien's cousin? The person she had met during the celebration in Quinn's mansion? "Interestingly, even though the black and the whites don't get along, they use each other like references." 

Once Penny had placed her hand in Bathsheba's colder hand, she readied herself for the cut on her skin. The last time, the black witch had made use of her nail but seeing the knife, she gulped, "How much blood is needed for this ritual?"

"A quarter less than the gla.s.s turning to be full. I hope you don't mind," said the black witch smiling at her as if she was going to enjoy cutting her hand to draw enough blood. Penny could feel her heart started to accelerate at the look of the gla.s.s on how much was more than half full, "Relax. If you tighten your hand it will only make it difficult," and before she completed the sentence, Bathsheba dived the knife to cut her palm. Penny winced with the painful burn that was caused by the knife. She had to close her eyes before seeing the blood drops fall right into the gla.s.s. With more drops that dripped down her finger into the gla.s.s, she could feel her hand weaken.

"This should be sufficient," upon Bathsheba's word, Damien took hold of Penny's hand. But unlike last time where he had given her kerchief to hold on to, Damien picked up her hand to his mouth to lick the blood off her skin...

Penny's eyes widened enough where if it was possible it would have fallen out of her face. This shameless vampire! "What are you doing?!" she whispered to see him look at her as he licked her hand with his coa.r.s.e tongue. 

"It would be a shame to waste such qualitative blood," the black witch looked as if she hadn't noticed it or rather didn't bother herself with it while she stared at the map, picking up the blood in the gla.s.s. 

Penny on the other hand just wanted to die, "You are a perverted vampire!" 

"Thank you," he said letting go of her hand. That wasn't a compliment!

Since the day he had confessed about him liking her, Damien did the strangest and oddest thing possible. He would step into the bathroom which made her push her bathing time when he was around. Sometimes she would find him close to her on the bed where the pillows disappeared. As subtle as she tried to be with him, his advances on her were in no means to be subtle at all. 

Once he was done licking his lips, his eyes met hers again and he sent a playful wink. 

Maybe she should ask Bathsheba on how to turn a person to a toad, thought Penny looking at Damien's smirk that was directed towards her. This shameless, perverted vampire missed no opportunity in embarra.s.sing her. Her heart felt slightly rattled at the moment due to his actions. Was it normal for a vampire to go licking a wound that had formed? But was Damien normal? No, thought Penny to herself. He had confessed and it only made her that much aware of him. 

Penny had previously not taken heed to his actions. At least not in the romantic sense but since the time he had disclosed and acknowledged it in front of her, she had started to take notice of him. Everything from his word to his very gaze was directed towards her, and due to this Penelope who had been always been careful had started to be clumsy under his eyes. 

Hearing a crackle and the black witch speak something incoherent as she started her spells, she turned around to see what Bathsheba was up to. The black witch held the cup in her hand, her eyes closed as she continued to mutter in the so-called language of the dead.

When Bathsheba opened her eyes, her eyes were pitch black. When she tilted the gla.s.s that contained her blood, she was sure it was going to fall on the parchment to splatter all over it but she was surprised...