Gwen and Trinity both knocked on the door to the old woman's cottage. They stood there, waiting for Maggie to answer the door. It took Maggie more than a few minutes to answer, but they didn't mind. The two young witches were enjoying a day together with nature. After more than a few minutes the door slowly creaked open and there was Maggie, surprised to see  them.

"Oh, my double company this afternoon comes in." Maggie greeted the two young ones at her door.

The two younger women followed her inside the cozy fairy- tale cottage. Maggie began to make tea. That was just who the crone woman was, as well as a wonderful person she was one of the most wise Gwen had ever known.

"Sit girls, get comfortable. I shall have my special tea ready very soon, and then you'll tell me about what happened in the woods."

"How did she know something happened in the woods?" Trinity freaked out, being only a known witch for a few months.

"I know because I can see your energies. Trinity you're purple. Gwen is crimson red."

"What do the colors mean are they the same as candle colors?" Trinity asked with enthusiasm.

"Also miss Trinity, here you forgot it."

The elder wise witch handed her the book bag she'd not remembered leaving here.

Trinity's eyes began to sparkle; she blushed feeling embarrassed that she'd forget something that important. It wasn't the book bag itself; but the book of shadows inside of it.

"Thank you so much, I can't believe I forgot it."

"You're welcome, dear."

"Let's sit at my kitchen table here, there's just enough room for three." Maggie suggested.

"It used to happen to me too."

Maggie got up slowly from the old wood table to get the tea for  them. Maggie then sat back down, easing into her chair. The three of them began to slowly sip the tea. Maggie waited as the two young witches said nothing. After the first cup of tea, she broke the silence.

"Would either of you care for another cup?"

The two both gladly accepted her offer of tea, grinning at each other. They sipped at it for far too long.

"Alright you two, spill it."

"Spill what, the tea?"

"Gwen don't be funny with me, what happened in the forest?"

Trinity chuckled just a second, and Gwen looked at Maggie, taking in more tea before answering her most respected elder and friend.

"The dark witch, Veronica happened. I know I am to respect all walks of life but I just can't with her, she crude and evil."

"Have you tried talking to her?"

"Yes I have tried Maggie, she won't be my friend, and she's just nasty to me and tells me I'm trespassing in her forest!"

"With some people they are more of a challenge; perhaps you should stay away from her?" Maggie suggested with the gentle tone of a loving grandmother.

"That's the weird part, we have never met intentionally, and it's never gone well when we do. Our paths just seem to cross in the forest or just outside of it."

Maggie dropped her tea cup; it shattered on the floor with a loud crash on the hard wood floor. Maggie had a very worried look on her face and Gwen picked up on it as Trinity waited to see what was going to happen next.

"Maggie, I'll clean it up." Gwen offered, getting up to fetch the broom.

She carefully cleaned up the shattered tea cup. She put the broom and small pail away. She got another cup for Maggie and sat back down.

"What do you know that you aren't telling me?" Gwen glared at Maggie.

Maggie poured another cup in the new cup and sipped it slowly before she uttered a single word.

"Maggie I know that there is more to this, and I know you know what it is." Gwen told her in a firm tone.

"Young one I can't keep it from you forever."

"Keep what from me? Maggie the suspense is driving me nuts."

"Hush up child."

"There is a great prophecy it goes as follows",

"One sorceress born of the light, one of the dark, both hold great power of the divine arts."

Trinity couldn't believe what she was hearing; this was great she had never heard something so beautiful, so epic before.

"What does it mean?' Gwen asked, with her eyes bulging from panic.

"Veronica is your dark side; we all have an opposite twin. She is your dark twin; you are her side of light that is why you repulse each other. She can't handle your inner light and you can't fathom her darkness." Maggie paused to take a sip of tea.

"You are equal in every other aspect, intelligence; you're both goal oriented powerful witches."

"Exactly how do you know that for sure?"

"I have my ways of knowing, I won't reveal all my secrets to anyone."

Maggie then winked at the two of them. Gwen was at a loss for words. She didn't know what it meant or even if it meant anything at all. Trinity and Gwen spent the rest of their afternoon with Maggie; both of the young witches enjoyed the company of the old crone as she told them of different protection rituals that should keep some peace with the dark sorceress. Maggie then handed them paper to take notes on a few different techniques. 

                                    On the other side of the forest, Veronica was ready to explode with the fury of an upper level demon. She was storming around in her elaborate bedroom chamber. She wasn't sure she would ever be able to calm her temper down. She needed to before she hurt herself and she knew it. She tried to breathe deeply to relax her mind as well as her body. She couldn't understand why Gwen was always in her way, or why it made her stomach weak and her head throb with intense pain. 

She needed to calm her nerves and more so she needed to think about what her next move was going to be concerning the blonde haired pain in the ass and her little groupie, too. Veronica wanted to kick something. She hated not figuring out why being too close to Gwen made her half sick, other than that girl being the village idiot.

"Muse of darkness, bringer of strife." She mumbled in her sleep "In the night bring her anger, show Gwen pain. Give her a taste of a life where perfection is not attained."

Shortly after that, she began to stir as the sun began to disappear. She sat up with a jerking motion, realizing she had fallen asleep and she no longer felt nauseated. She rubbed her eyes for a moment, trying to wake her thoughts again. Then suddenly like a clap of thunder striking her mind, she knew the best thing to do. She needed to take this issue to Triadia, if she didn't know what to do, Ludwig would. She quickly wrote down the strange confrontation in the forest in the back of her spell book before leaving her chamber. She walked quickly down the stairs and through the elegant grand hall, to the front castle doors.

The young sorceress headed through the rough hills and rocks for a few miles, she was careful yet quickly heading over the small clearing, just before she made it, out of breath to Tirada's fortress. Finally, she said under her breath. She made her way to the large door and knocked on it hard, to be sure it would be heard all through the place. She didn't have to wait long for Raeford, the butler to answer the huge front door.

"My Veronica, dear good of you to come all this way, does come in." He greeted her as always with the kind heart, like visiting your favorite uncle. She followed him into the main hallway, and led her to the potions lab, where her mentor was busting perfecting something that smelled weird to her.

"Miss Veronica is here to see you." Raeford told his mistress. Triadia looked up reacting with surprise, and a grin.

"Come on in then, you came this far I'm sure it wasn't to see what I put in my dream potions." Triadia turned to Raeford, "Could you bring us two cups of coffee please, the night owl roast if you could?" She batted her eye lashes at him.

"Yes, miss of course for you and our dear apprentice anything." He winked at Veronica before heading off to get the special coffee blend from the cellar. Triadia looked sternly at Veronica waiting to hear what the reason for the visit had to be. She loved it when the young sorceress appeared for a little paw wow but it was a long way and a rough terrain.

"What's the matter dear?"

"How did you know something isn't right?" Veronica asked a little bewildered by her mentor's psychic abilities.

"It's me dear. Do me a little favor and hand me that jar of demon blood right there next to the dragon's blood."

Triadia grew a little impatient with her young student." No honey, that's dogwood herb."

Veronica kept apologizing, stumbling over the words, and then

She found the jar. She let out a soft sigh of relief.

"There you go demon's blood."

"Thanks, now what's clogging up you inner thoughts?"

"It's this irritating witch, I can't stand her, it's nothing she's done other than flash her stupidity."

Triadia held in a laugh, and then Raeford returned with the frets pot of coffee, two cups a bowl of cream and sugar on a sterling silver tray that was decorated in the zodiac symbols and other sigils. Veronica admired it, that thing was an antique and it was beyond gorgeous.

"Thank you Raeford, I think we're good for the night, if you'd like the rest of the night off."

"Oh thank you kindly miss, I must request something."

"What is it?"

"May I borrow one of your special books from the library?"

"Yes, no experimenting yet." She gave him a scornful look.

"Yes of course I shall not do that again." He replied before going to the extensive library.

She turned back to Veronica. "He is learning spirit world communication, don't tell him but he's got a knack for it."

"Oh, wow I didn't know he was a practitioner too?"

"Only the last five years or so, He's around it all the time, he was obviously curious about it."

"Okay, now the girl is named Gwen that I can't stand, but it's really freaky."

"Go on what is it?"

"When I'm around her, I become nauseated get headaches and we haven't tried to see each other. Each time I see her pain is worse."

"Is she a dark one?'

"I think she's a sorceress of light."

"That explains it, then. She is a powerful sorceress of light; she blinds your shining dark power. She is equal to you that is why it pains you." Triadia explained to her.

Veronica looked dumbfounded; she hadn't considered that to be the problem. She didn't understand it.

"Her light makes you sick, you're darkness will affect her in time."

Triadia went over to her potion shelf and pulled down a dusty bottle and handed it to her.

"What is it?"

"It's a healing potion. Keep it with you when you're out, if you run into her again drink it, you'll not be cured but it will ease most of the pain."

"Thank you so much." Veronica told her as she sat to sip the coffee with her mentor. It was better than most of the coffee she'd ever had. "Wow this is good, really good."

"It's specially formulated for night people. I don't even know what's in it. "

Triadia admitted to her young student. Veronica gulped down more of it, and then set the cup down on the black iron table decorated in an elaborate pattern of blood red roses crossing the front of it.

"Oh wow, it's great, though."

"Here take this book with you to keep." Triadia handed her a dark burgundy leather bound book.

"Ooh, a new book? What is it; I can tell it must be ancient." Veronica was excited; she loved anything involving gaining more knowledge, and more power.

She thrived on it that was what she lived for.

"It's advanced magic."

"Are you serious? I am an advanced sorceress?"

"We both know that much. Drink up darling; I have a potion to perfect before the damn poltergeist gets back here."

"What poltergeist?" Veronica asked with alarm.

"Oh, it's nothing big, he just keeps scaring off Rueford, it's the old butler from centuries ago Roger St. Claire. He's teasing my butler, so I am going to send him off."

The young sorceress was amazed to hear that one. She finished her cup before telling Triadia goodbye.

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