Chapter 99: Lady Iskareth in Ashwood
Andria’s POV
"Do you remember me now from the small old house in the middle of the forest?" she said, drawing closer to me.
I was stunned; it can’t be... She can’t be that old witch, Lady Iskareth.
"Lady Iskareth?" I asked, and a small smile curved at her lips, "Is that you? I could hardly recognize you."
She smiled warmly, very different from the witch I had met.
The lady Iskareth I knew wasn’t warm; she was a sturdy-looking old woman.
"Nice to meet you again, Aria," she exhaled a bit and then nodded her head in a way that signaled me to come with her.
I looked back at Liara and Michaela.
"You can take your time. We will sit at the reception area and wait," Liara said, reading my expression.
Lady Iskareth, the mirror witch, also known as the witch of disguise, excels at concealing her true nature, including her appearance. What does she suddenly seek at Ashwood Academy in the middle of this chaos?.
"Aria, the blessed wolf," she started, "The wolf with the unique scent that has been lost for ages."
Why does she speak this way? What does she want from me?.
"You have forgotten that we had unfinished business. I thought that you would come back, but it seems like you got carried away by the chaos in the academy," she inhaled and exhaled, allowing the words to sink in.
"I had so many unanswered questions that you couldn’t finish," I answered her in a calm tone. "But is that the reason you decided to come to Ashwood?"
"I came to Ashwood to not just answer your unanswered questions, but the questions you will eventually have."
She walked further, and I followed to the end of the hallway. "You have four mates and a betrothal if I’m correct, and in fact, you are Andria Falcon from the Falcon pack,"
A cold chill ran down my spine as I realized Lady Iskareth had done some research about me.
"Well, you are not the only one doing some research. By the way, your secret is safe with me," she said, turning towards me and giving me a hearty smile.
I looked towards where Liara and Michaela were seated. They were sitting far away, so they couldn’t have heard what she just said now.
"What do you want from me, Lady?" I asked, eyeing her suspiciously, and she burst out laughing.
"You think I came all the way from my peaceful habitat in the middle of that forest to blackmail you?" she blurted out and continued laughing.
"No child, I came because you need me and you are my subject of interest. You will find out why as time goes on, because as of now, you have a lot on your plate, and a lot of yourself to discover. Aria, you are the rarest of your kind, and you should be careful henceforth.
Now you can go back to your friends. Come back anytime you need your questions answered and anytime you want me to finish my tale about the Dravari’s," Lady Iskareth said and quickly turned to leave as usual, without sparing a glance back at me.
Yes, she was telling me a story about the Dravari’s before she paused and decided the story should be annulled, as if she knew right from then that we would meet again.
She knew me; she knew almost everything about me. She knew we were coming to visit her that night even before we arrived, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I found out she knew my real identity but chose to conceal it in front of Larissa and Mel.
Which was something that I’m grateful for that she did.
If she knew so much about me, it means she would understand my wolf rank, what happened to my real parents, and who I really am.
Maybe I’ll have to ask her later, now that she is in Ashwood with me, it makes it easier.
I walked back to Liara and Michaela, and they wore curious expressions on their faces, but nothing prepared me for the question that came out of Liara’s mouth.
"Is she your mother? She is just as pretty as you are," Liara asked, her eyes wide with expectation, if she had been meaning to ask me who my parents were.
"No, she is not and cannot be, but we have known each other for some time. I didn’t even recognize her at first glance," I said, furrowing my brow.
She can’t be my mother; she was a witch, and I was a vampire and a werewolf, no signs of witchery.
And I couldn’t disclose how I met her; if not, they would find out she was a witch, and that wouldn’t be good for both Lady Iskareth and me.
Michaela just peered at me, wearing a confused and curious expression, but she decided not to speak out.
"I don’t really know who your parents are or your wolf rank, you know that we never did a proper introduction," Liara continued. She wasn’t about to give the topic of my Identity crisis a rest.
"Maybe we will do that later, when Becca is around; we haven’t actually done a proper introduction," I answered, trying hard to conceal my uneasiness.
I had forged everything I’m now; my whole existence at Ashwood was a facade, but I tend to make it a reality eventually.
Because I actually don’t have an identity, and I have been living a borrowed identity of the Falcons. So now I get to choose what identity I get to have for my entire existence.
But how do Liara, Becca or Arlo understand this?, I hope she eventually forgets this topic, or I have to find out the family whose name I had forged.
It’s going to be hard explaining to them when the time comes why I don’t know my wolf rank. And a she-wolf who has no rank or doesn’t know her rank is easily overlooked. She is regarded as worse than a low-ranking she-wolf; what cruel fate.
"Let’s head back to the dorms, it’s already getting late, and the principal had announced a curfew due to the recent happenings, and it’s almost time," I said, attempting to change the topic.