Xanthe wasn't just suspicious at that point, she was full-blown alarmed.
How come this woman she'd just met knew so much about her?
Something was fishy about Maia but she couldn't wrap her head around it. One way or the other, she was going to get to the bottom of it.
Maia, on the other hand, was a bit taken aback by her question. She'd been so carried away to the extent of speaking out of control.
Yes, she was excited to finally meet a true witch, but she still felt reluctant to fully trust her when she knew nothing about her.
She needed to tread carefully with this witch.
Maia chuckled awkwardly. "The three-eyed jaguar engraving on your pendant is a dead giveaway," she said dismissively. "Go ahead and eat up."
Unsatisfied with her answer, Xanthe continued to stare at her unwaveringly.
Yes, the three-eyed jaguar was the emblem of Sodom, but how did she come to know that?
Left with no choice, Maia rolled her eyes, waving a dismissive hand. "Alright, fine. I'll tell you," she said. "I used to know this shady cartomancer who is surprisingly good at sorcery. When she was sober, she taught me some spells— in exchange for a huge sum, of course— but when she's had one too many, she does nothing but rant about Sodom. I thought it was the alcohol speaking, but apparently. . . she was right. There really is a place like Sodom where a civilization of witches exists."
Now that piqued Xanthe's attention. If the cartomancer was indeed a witch from Sodom, she needed to meet her. Who knows, she might just be the reason the High Priestess had sent her to this place in the first place.
In a swift motion, Xanthe's hand swiped the box of pizza to the side before she leaned forward onto the table eagerly. "Would you mind taking me to this cartomancer you speak of?
"Actually. . ." Maia drawled, her brows furrowing thoughtfully. "She moved out of town months ago and I haven't heard from her since."
Xanthe peered at Maia dubiously, unable to shake off the thought that Maia was withholding some information from her.
"I'm serious," Maia insisted, a hint of annoyance in her tone. It was upsetting that even though she'd laid herself bare before Xanthe, she was still suspicious of her. "I have no idea where she currently is."
Noticing the shift in Maia's tone, Xanthe slowly withdrew her body from the table and sank back into her seat.
She was going to let her off the hook. At least, for now.
To lighten the mood, she shifted the conversation to something less serious. "If I may ask, what circumstance led to your confinement when we first met?"
"What a coincidence. I was about to ask just that," Maia responded with a smile.
Returning her smile, Xanthe said, "After you."
"Well, some idiot who possibly skipped driving school, nearly knocked down an elderly woman. I tried to get her to apologise—"
"Hold on," Xanthe interrupted. "The idiot in question is a woman?"
"Yes, a brainless one at that," Maia spat with so much irritation. "I tried to get her to apologize to the old woman, but instead she hurled her bag in my face. IN MY FACE! Somehow, her face accidentally fell on my fist," she added the last part in a nonchalant tone.
Xanthe squinted her eyes at her. "You punched her in the face, didn't you?"
Maia shrugged. "All the same."
Amused, Xanthe chuckled under her breath and then went on, "It's still rather unfair that you were the one apprehended, when it was she who instigated the fight."
"Well, uh, I guess it's because you need to be 'conscious' to face the law."
Xanthe gaped at her while her eyes blinked uncontrollably. "Don't tell me you. . ."
"Mm-hmm," Maia agreed with a nod before she finished speaking. "She's still receiving treatment as we speak."
Instantly, Xanthe's head snapped backwards and a hearty laugh erupted from her. Since she arrived here, she'd never had the pleasure of feeling this tickled over anything.
Maia was actually a breath of fresh air. . . in an unhinged sort of way.
"Woman, you're a walking disaster," Xanthe said. And strangely enough, she was beginning to find that appealing.
"I'll take that as a compliment," Maia intoned with pride. "So tell me. . . what was a fragile girl as yourself doing behind bars?"
Xanthe's shoulders sagged, her mind reliving her awful ordeal with Lorenzo. "I was unfortunate to have encountered the most unpleasant man to ever exist," she said in a sigh and then proceeded to recount the entire unfortunate events that had led to her arrest.
"Wait! Let me get this straight. . ." Maia said, trying to suppress the laugh bubbling up to her throat. "You came here through a portal?"
"Mm-hmm."
"And somehow landed in someone's house?"
"Yes."
"And he got you arrested?" Before Xanthe could answer, Maia burst into laughter, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably as she repeatedly thumped the tabletop with her palm.
"Stop laughing, it's not funny," Xanthe whined.
"No, to be fair, anyone would've reacted the same way if they were in his shoes," Maia said breathlessly. "I mean, you must've scared the life out of that innocent man."
"I assure you that there's nothing innocent about that man," Xanthe seethed in a low voice. "Not only did he treat me with utmost disdain, but he also saw fit to steal my journal. He's sure lucky my power has no effect on him, or by the gods, he would be croaking somewhere in the nastiest ponds in town."
"Wait. . . your power has no effect on him?" Maia echoed, reaching for a canned soda. "Now I'm fully intrigued. Who exactly is this 'unpleasant man'?
"All I know is his name. . . Lorenzo Staniforth, if I'm not mistaken."
Maia choked on her drink upon hearing the name. "You met Lorenzo Staniforth?!" She exclaimed. "Like THE Lorenzo Staniforth."
Xanthe stared back at her, a faint frown glazing across her face. "Does he hold that much importance?"
"Are you kidding me?" Maia said in a high-pitched voice. "Girl, he's like, one of the richest and hottest bachelors in New York. He does have some serious issues with his sex life, but that doesn't stop women from throwing themselves at him. Oh, and let's not forget he's from a family that's basically royalty on a global scale. Like, you need to be on a certain level to breathe the same air with these people."
Maia spent the next half hour ranting and raving about the Staniforth family while Xanthe listened with half-interest. She noticed how Maia seemed more focused on Ian Staniforth, the third son of the Staniforth family, like an obsessed fan girl. Even her usually fierce eyes were now dancing with excitement.
With her elbow resting on the table, Xanthe cupped her cheek and a knowing smile spread across her lips.
Someone seems to have fallen under an Enchantment Spell.
Noticing the look on Xanthe's face, Maia trailed off, lifting her shoulders innocently. "What?"
Xanthe's smile broadened. "You do fancy this Ian, don't you?"
"Not in the way you're thinking?"
"In what way then?"
"Tch!" Maia gave a good-natured eye roll before changing the topic by asking, "So, tell me. . . what's Sodom actually like?"
Xanthe shook her head. "I'm afraid I have little knowledge of Sodom. All I know is what I've read from books. I was raised in an impermeable fortress, away from civilization and under the care of the High Priestess and a handful of maids and guards. I believe they needed to preserve my purity for their sacrificial purposes."
She said the last part barely above a whisper, but Maia's attentive ear was able to catch it.
"Huh?" Maia's eyes widened in horror. "What do you mean by that?"
"It's a long story."
"I mean, I'm unemployed and time is all I've got. So. . ."
Xanthe hesitated, pondering if it was wise to trust Maia with her life's history, but one look at those compelling eyes had her caving in.
"Fine. I'll tell you."
~
Decades ago, long before Xanthe was born, the Realm of Sodom thrived in unity with covens from all regions—North, South, East, West, and Central—working together and bringing their unique strength to the table.
Apart from their inborn magical abilities, the dark gods granted each coven a distinct gift that set them apart from one another.
The Northern Coven possessed the power of clairvoyance.
The Southern Coven wielded the magic of growth and regeneration.
The Eastern commanded the elements.
The Western held the power of healing.
And finally, the Central Coven was gifted with boundless vitality.
To maintain peace among the covens, the superior witches known as The Elders gathered and established a sacred tradition. That every five years, each coven would provide a worthy witch who would rule as the Great Mother of Sodom.
For centuries, the witches lived that way, united and powerful, but the pillars of their unity began to quake when a Northern Coven Priestess received the Crimson Prophecy:
"When crimson skies descend upon Sodom, a boon shall be awoken. Untainted shall she remain, bearing a fire greatly unfathomable. In the appointed hour of reaping, the daughters of Sodom shall unleash her power through sacrifice and claim it for themselves."
As the witches awaited the birth of the boon, Greed, doubt, and misunderstanding began to creep into their hearts, slowly turning them against each other.
Towards the final year of Great Mother Tenebra's reign, Xanthe was born on the day the sky turned red, just as the prophecy had foretold.
In that year was when the whole problem began. . .