All witches know their fate.

Banished from the fairy realm, they stay here in the waste land that is Sprion. Anything the fairies don’t like live in this land.

Far enough away from the fairies in Lillia that they feel safe but close enough to keep an eye on the witches.

Witches knew their place. It was said that once, a witch poisoned the fairy queen’s son and when he died, the queen banished all witches and that’s why no one practicing dark magic was allowed in.

That story has been told to Raven her whole life.

Too bad that it is all a lie.

OoOoO

“Raven! Are you coming?”

The moon is high in the sky, shining the only light this land sees.

“Yes! Just minute!”

Raven twirls her hand above her hand and a darkness runs over her. Once it clears, her clothes, black of course, appear instead of her pajamas.

Her friends, Ebony, Onyx, and Obsidian are all waiting for her.

They talk in hushed whispers. Tonight they are going up to the border of Sprion. Fairy watching.

It is something they do in the darkness of night since the elders don’t like them getting close. Fairies are bad. They hate them. But they fascinate Raven and her friends.

When they reach the physical barrier, they duck into the only foliage that grows in Sprion. The nature is the strongest the closer one gets to Lillia, the fairy kingdom. Fairies have such a natural connection to organic elements. Raven marvels at the strong trees, flowering blossoms, and bright greens. Nothing like that ever grows at home.

“I can’t believe fairies live like that,” Onyx mumbles. He always had an interest in plant life, but they don’t get much.

“Aren’t they supposed to be the kindest creatures? Why keep us banished?” Obsidian “Sid” points out. Not the first time someone has. The younger witch generations constantly pester the elders. It is their curious nature that has them testing the boundaries and limits.

“Look!” Ebony directs their attention to inside the barrier. A fairy with pink, sparkly wings and equally shimmery flowy dress flies around. She appears to shed glitter which restores some of the grass and bushes.

Studying this fairy, she throws more of her magic and it gets close to the bubble and actually a few sparkles go through the wall. That surprises them all.

They were all told that no magic could go through. Witches couldn’t cross over and neither could fairies.

Her eyes are drawn to fairy dust on the ground on their side of the barrier. They shine and glisten, contrasting with the dark, dry land.

A thought pops into her head and she shoots her magic towards the barrier, a dark stream hits it, but a few specks make it through.

There is something that pulls Raven. Not physically, but something deep inside her that is calling her, possessing her to move.

“Rave! What are you doing?” Ebony lunges to grab her arm, but she misses when Raven continues closer.

She can’t explain it. Something wants her there.

“Raven?” Apprehension fills all of them.

The fairy has the same wide eyed, glazed over look as Raven. Both advancing towards the boundary. Onyx goes to grab her arm, but something prevents him. He can’t even get close to her skin. Her own personal bubble has formed.

As they both walk over each other’s magics, the dust on both sides light up.

Her hand reaches up towards the barrier and instead of bouncing off, her hand goes _through_. The pink fairy’s hand also perforates the boundary.

Then as quick as that happened, both girls retract their arms like they were lit on fire. The dust’s glow dies down.

“Raven?”

“What? What am I doing?” She asks, looking around at her friends.

“You were like entranced by something and then you and that fairy both went through the bubble,” Ebony summarizes.

“We went through it?” The fairy questions, her voice not as high pitched as Raven would have guessed. Raven’s friends nod. “That shouldn’t be possible,” she mutters, her wings fluttering rapidly.

“Who are you? I’ve never seen a fairy this close to the border,” Raven directs her attention to the fairy. “My name’s Calla. Yours is Raven?”

“Yes, that’s my friends, Ebony, Onyx, and Sid,” she introduces while pointing to each person.

“It’s a special moon tonight. The Wisdom Council were talking about it. It affects the barrier, I think.”

“Why did it affect you guys?” Sid asks, though he knows that no one has the answer. “Maybe our magics going through the bubble?” Raven states, but it comes out as a question.

She points to the dying glow of both of their magic specks on both sides.

“Can you go through it now?” Onyx inquires.

Raven and Calla bring their hands up to the barrier, but their touches are repelled.

“That’s so strange,” Calla marvels, clearly more positive about the situation than the rest of them. “I should go to the council about this.”

A strong instinct inside Raven revolted at that idea. “No!” Everyone stares at her, surprised at her outburst. “I mean, we don’t know even know if that was a one time thing. Maybe try to poke around without causing attention. We weren’t even supposed to be this close to the barrier. I assume you aren’t either.”

Calla’s eyes lower and Raven knows she’s right. So no one on both sides are allowed to be near the bubble. “So what now?” The fairy’s wings flutter, showing the nervousness right away.

Figures. Fairies don’t know how to lie.

“We ask questions that just sound curious without any indication of tonight. Calla, try to find out about this weird moon. We meet back here tomorrow,” Raven lays out this plan. She doesn’t know where this take charge attitude came from, but she knows she needs to learn more.

Magic is highly instinctual whether you are a witch or a fairy. That same pull that Raven gets from her magic is pulling her towards the border even still. Something is going on, she just doesn’t know what.

And it is clear that to find out what the hell is going on, she needs this fairy’s help.

———

(This is separate from my Trust series with Nova and Haze. Both have witches, but they are not related. This world is based on my previous post The Real Truth.

Have any name suggestions? I’m thinking flower names for fairies and things associated with darkness and dark colors for witches such as Obsidian and Onyx and Ebony.)