The Angelus Brothers Chronicles - The Red Witch

CHAPTER THREE

No other witch could travel through the mirror realm world as Rouge May could. It was her one gleaming talent, she was only one of around five witches to ever have lived, that could go into the mirror realm and not lose herself. Not only did she not lose herself, but unlike the others, she could draw on a power she didn't have herself to perform spells directly from this realm. As well as using the mirror realm like many would a Pegasus, she could move quickly across continents floating through it. Her mother had been beside herself when six-year-old Rouge May had climbed into a mirror for the first time. She was too young to know it was considered dangerous, she'd just felt it calling to her and placed her hand on it. She didn't know where the words had come from but she'd muttered them and found the cold smooth surface had become a warm inviting barrier and climbed in.

Merlin had been furious when she'd returned, he couldn't traverse the mirror realm and they had assumed she was lost to it like so many witches before her. But Rouge had found it a warm and comforting place, she'd floated about as if she could fly in this new bright silvery rainbow world. It was a place like no other like the world had been replicated in reverse and given a mirrored surface. It was bright and beautiful, unlike her grey dark home. From the mirror realm, things and people seemed to move so slowly, like time for her had sped up and for them slowed down. Having never been able to leave her subterranean home before the curious child couldn't help but explore. She discovered if she looked into the odd black voids that adorned many walls she could see into other people's homes as they appeared in her realm. She saw other children for the first time, animals and sunshine.

Hours passed and she grew hungry, finding her way to her bedroom mirror that also looked like a black void from the odd realm and climbing back through the blackness. For her half, a day had passed, for her family only about half an hour. Her mother was hysterical thinking her child had been lost in the mirror realm forever. As Nimue had thrown her arms around her daughter sobbing loudly that she was ok, her father had glowered at her. When Nimue had finally calmed herself Merlin had berated her for being so selfish and scaring her poor mother. Rouge didn't understand what she had done that was so wrong. Taking Nimue with him, Merlin had told her to stay in her room and think about what she had done. Days later Merlin had made a passing comment to August while they all ate lunch that at least she wasn't completely useless. August had just been angry and jealous despite his many powers that she possessed one so rare. He couldn't bear for anyone to have anything he didn't.

Finding her mother's mirror she knocked gently in case she was out of sight of the mirror, no answer, her mother couldn't be in her bedroom. She tugged herself through the mirror and landed weakly in a heap on the cold hard floor.

"Mama? Papa?" She still felt so weak even with the small energy boost the mirror had given her. When no one came she called again as loud as she could "Mama? Papa?" Moments later her Mother came running through the door.

"Oh my, Merlin, Merlin! It's Rouge, she's hurt." She dropped to her knees by her daughter and cradled her head in her lap.

"Oh my darling, what happened?" Before she could answer her father came rushing in. He was exactly what people expected Merlin to be, tall and thin with a long grey beard and small black eyes and wearing a long blue robe with a gold belt. She wondered briefly if he dressed like that because it was expected or if it was expected because he dressed like it.

"What have you gotten yourself into child?" He knelt beside them and placed his hands on her arm and muttered under his breath. She whimpered as her burns began to sizzle again, only this time they started to heal. She wanted to say it's you that got me into it but kept her tongue at bay. Her mother stroked her hair

"It's OK my sweet, you'll be all better soon." Nimue's voice was always singsong and soft. Ten minutes later Merlin stood up and wiped his brow.

"All better. Now, do you want to explain this?" She looked from her father to her mother.