The Lightning Mage

11 | The Joint Commission, Part IV

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Cydney followed Sybil tentatively, with Freya and Clay guarding her on both sides. As they walked further into the tunnel, the spacious, well-paved passageway slowly turned into a narrow, winding road. A horse-drawn carriage awaited them.

Inside sat four other people: an Indian woman holding onto a cloudy crystal ball, a white woman with ghostly pale skin, a white man with eerily black eyes, and a Latina woman stroking the horses lovingly. They must be the rest of the Witches.

"Come on in." Sybil gave her a wink before climbing into the carriage in one smooth step.

Gulping, Cydney followed suit—except by wiggling and floundering her limbs onto the high platform, all while six pairs of sullen eyes bored into her. She sat next to Sybil uneasily and tugged on her pants.

"Don't be nervous, my dear. We don't bite." Sybil was the only person not staring daggers at Cydney. With a gracious wave of her hand, she ordered, "Elena, let's go."

The Latina woman by the horses nodded, and the carriage began to move.

"W- Where are you taking me?" Cydney asked.

Sybil leaned back as she rested her elbow on the ledge. The smile on her face was as serene as ever. "Onto our next hiding spot, of course. But first, let me introduce you to everyone here. I'm Sybil, and you've already met Freya and Clay. This is Priya, Lana, and Dylan, and the person manning the carriage is Elena. We are a friendly group of witches and wizards traveling together."

As Sybil introduced everyone, the glares from each of them intensified; they did not look friendly at all. Their leader, on the other hand, was looking at Cydney as if she was the most interesting person in the entire world.

"And what about you, my dear? What do you go by?"

"C... Cydney."

"Cydney." Sybil's eyebrows raised just as her lips did. She gestured to the Indian woman seated next to her. "I want to show you something, Cydney. Why don't you place your hands on Priya's crystal ball?"

Priya lifted the globe towards Cydney. Frowning, Cydney followed the order hesitantly. The ice-cold crystal sent a slight chill down her spine.

"Good. Now say your full name."

"Cydney Yen."

"No, silly. Your real full name. One that is given to you by your parents."

Once again, the witch caught her by surprise with how much she seemed to know. She remembered Lyn's current predicament, and let out a small sigh.

"Yēn Sīn-Ní," she whispered.

The cloud inside the crystal ball cleared, revealing an older Asian woman, holding bags of groceries and trudging along a pavement.

A gasp escaped Cydney's throat, and she jerked up so suddenly that she almost fell out of the carriage.

"Mama!" she cried out. "How- How are you doing that?"

The longer she stared at the tired and frail figure in the glass sphere, the more her heart clenched. How long had it been since she last saw her mother?

How long had it been since she last saw any of her family?

"Your mother? You look just like her." Sybil's voice was soft and gentle. "This is a glimpse of your memories. Priya is a soothsayer, and she can tap into your past."

Memories? Oh no.

Immediately, Cydney yanked her hands away from the crystal ball, but it was too late—the image shifted from her mother to the man she had wished to never see again.