After exchanging a reassuring glance with Mason, I followed my mother into the hut. Ducking in, I let my eyes adjust. The inside of the hut was way bigger than the outside made it look. The first thing I saw was an old Witch standing over a brewing cauldron. She had to have been making a potion. She looked up when Zanna, Mason, and I walked in.
The old Witch must have been family because looking into the Witch's eyes you could see that she could shift. Her pupils were slits, like a cats, and they were a yellowish-green. Her dark hair was put up on her head into a tight bun and she wore glasses that added to her oldish appearance.
"Mason. Zanna. How are you? The Reds giving you any trouble with Rak-" As if just noticing me, she stopped talking.
"It's been years. I haven't realized how old she had gotten. Her spirit has grown, too. She must be sixteen now. Am I right?" The Witch stared at Zanna.
"I'm fifteen, Sixteen in a month. Probably a stupid question, but who are you?", I answered for Zanna.
"Oh, I remember. Your parents erased your memory. Well, you used to call me Aunt Po. My real names Povie Earnskull. Most call me Po... Your spirit tells me you like your name. Raksha Drache? It's very interesting, don't you think so?" Your spirit tells me?
"I love my name. I think it is very interesting. It's certainly to the point. Excuse me, probally another stupid question, but my spirit tells you... How?" I asked, confused.
"There's never a stupid question Dear. I'm very, very old. My mind is very wisened. I lost my sight many, many years ago. I had to find other means of seeing. In my old age I have infested in some powerful magic. I'm now a very, very powerful mind reader. It seams harder to get to your mind, though...
"It's like you have two minds now. That should be rough. Both are very smart and merciful people though. You'll amount to great things someday. My mind tells me sooner than later..." I made up my mind, or minds; I really liked Aunt Po.
"Thank you. That means a lot to me. Um... Mom? What are we doing here? I thought we were going to the castle." I said, turning to my parents.
Zanna started talking fast. "Aunt Po, we need help getting to the castle. The Reds have many spies. We can't walk along the streets to the castle. Too many people know me. We can't afford for too many people to find out about Raksha. Too may know already. We-"
Aunt Po cut her off. "Dear, can you let Mason speak. Your spirit's too upset. Its sending too many emotions to me... Not to be rude, but it's really hurting my head." Po said, rubbing her temples.
"Honey, please calm down. Even my telepath's hurting me. I'm not sure, but I think Raksha's starting to feel it too." He said, looking at me. I nodded. I had felt it when Zanna first started talking. Waves of worry were bouncing off of her, crashing into me. It was starting to really hurt.
Mason turned to Po and said, calmly, "Can you help us by making a portkey to transport us to Zanna and I's old room. It will really help Raksha. Maybe even fend of the Reds while we get some extra protection to guard her." You could tell Po was in even before Mason mentioned my, or Raksha's, life. When he said it though, Po began pulling out an old can and special herbs.
"Of course. Peice of cake." Aunt Po said. "Zanna's room? Okay, just a few moments."
She turned to the old can, pulled out a box labeled 'Safety Herbs', and began whispering a spell, that Raksha identified as the Portkeys spell, while throwing the safety herbs on it that I realized, with Raksha's help, was to make it uninterceptable and untraceable.
The can began to glow a dark green. It sparkled for about two seconds and started to rise in the air. Aunt Po stopped whispering and the can immediately fell. It was still glowing.
"It's ready. Come. Gather around.", she said.
"Now Zanny. It'll take you right to your old room. Make sure Raksha holds on, though. Transportation isn't a safe process. Now go, hurry."
Zanna hugged Aunt Po and so did Mason, then they put their hands on the can, still glowing. Aunt Po turned to me expectantly. Raksha knew what she wanted. A hug.
Okaaay... Then I hugged Aunt Po and whispered, "Thank you.", before joining my parents at the portkey. "Ready?", Po asked. Raksha's parents and I nodded our heads, knowing Po could read us anyway. "Okay." Then the next thing I knew I was in a bright ray of sunshine. Then I couldn't see anything. Then I was in a room built for a princess.
This had to have been my mother's old room. I was so tired that the first thing I actually noticed was an extra, extra large king sized bed with green drapings and a purple fuzzy comforter. It was in a corner. The pillows were large, fuzzy green, and perfect for sleeping on.
On another wall was a fireplace. It looked very much like home. It sprung to life right before my eyes, as if it knew it's owners were home. There was a huge fuzzy purple couch with a green stripe in the middle. Two fuzzy green armchairs were on either side of it.
You could see ton's of family pictures of Zanna, Raksha, and Mason on the walls. There were plenty of other people but I didn't feel like trying to remember them now. The best picture was above the fireplace. The picture was delicately hand painted. You could literally see every brush stroke put into the picture. The picture concluded of Zanna and Mason holding Raksha together. They were both kissing her on the forhead. It was very beautiful picture.
Around Baby Raksha's neck hung a small necklace. It looked beautiful on her neck and the brush strokes made the beauty more. A small locket was there. Automatically the Raksha in me raised our hand and put it to our neck, where the strange pendant was hanging. I had never seen the thing in my life but, heart shaped and shining to the world, the necklace hung around the present me's neck.
On another wall was a shelf as big as the wall. It was full of many, many books. In the middle of the bookshelf there was a rectangular shape cut out and in it's place stood a huge green, purple, and black fuzzy chair. In front of the chair was an enormous desk with a laptop, a desk lamp, and many papers. The desk was very neat and tidy like the rest of the room.
This was a princess's room, no doubt, and you could tell the theme was green, purple, and black. "Wow!" I breathed. "You lived in here?" I gaped at Raksha's mother who giggled softly. She acted like a kid! It reminded Raksha and me of how the girls at the Camp had each acted on their first couple of days. Girlish and young.
"Of course. I'm a kid at heart, you know. Can't you tell? You, your Father, and I lived in here until you turned nine. We gave you your own room then. We lived in this castle until we got captured by the Reds the first time. Life was paradise." She whispered the last part.
"Seems nice." I whispered back, not meaning to add the lonliness Raksha had been and was feeling, to my voice.