Arois Forest

The witches marched through a maze of trees, their feet crunching branches and leaves. The forest was coated by a thick mist as if it were hiding some kind of secret.

A guard held a chained prisoner with tattered clothes and bleeding scars. His wrists bounded behind his back. If he attempted to use magic, the iron would heat and burn his skin. 

At the lead, of the line were three men, concentrating in holding up a spell that formed a glowing orb. 

"Lord Zeathel.... it seems like we took a wrong turn yet again."

"Colton you bastard, this is all your fault!"

Zeathel sighed in irritation as the group was losing concentration and dismissed the orb.

"Draven behave... We'll just have to try again tomorrow. Set up camp everyone!"

All the witches halted in place as they followed his command. The guard pulls the prisoner over a tree and wraps the chain around the trunk. 

"Don't try anything wizard mutt..." The man muttered as he walked away to help his comrades. 

The man sat on the ground, leaning his head against the tree, looking closely at the witches setting up camp. Seeing them made his mind replay the events of his capture... 

Colton waves his arms around to arrange a tent, a lit fire pit, and a small table with chairs. Zeathel takes a seat as Draven leans against a tree trunk with his arms crossed as Colton continues to arrange the camp. He places food on the table and takes a seat right across from Zeathel.

"You felt it haven't you?.." 

"Pardon Lord Zeathel?" 

"He's talking about Mona, don't act stupid..." 

Colton adjusted his collar cloak as he spoke on the matter. "Rather unfortunate...but she failed to follow a simple command." 

Draven punched the tree as he yelled about how heartless he was being, but stopped as he saw Zeathel raise his hand.

"Draven you are not to meddle with emotional sentiments...  Colton is right though, Mona failed us. However, it seems like there's more to it than her death... What's on your mind, Colton?" 

He folds his forearms on the table looking at the direction of the prisoner. 

"Mona is a powerful witch and the star child is useless at magic... It is possible that there was an outside factor that caused her demise, but I'm not sure what it could be." 

He stands as he holds a bowl of fresh fruit and walks off towards him.

"Perhaps.. the wizards have a new ally."

Colton's last phrase had Zeathel and Draven thinking about who could've outwitted the witch queen.

The chained man opens his eyes as he hears footsteps getting closer and looks up to see one of the leaders holding up the orb spell with a bowl of fruit. He raised his hand, chanting, the chains slithered like a snake bonding his feet together and his hands were free to move, but the iron bands remained around his wrists. 

A trunk grows under his bottom, slightly raising him from the ground, and another next to him. Colton sits on the empty trunk and finishes the spell by having the man's bounded feet tied around the seated trunk. 

He places the bowl on the ground next to him and rests his back against the trunk overseeing the witch campsite. 

"The same rules still apply... so I recommend refraining your magic." 

The man looks over the bowl and slowly picks it up, examining it. 

"Ozengar, the wizard of weather. You can temporarily control weather patterns with spells and speak with the spirits of the sky. That's impressive...tell me can you control a little mist like this?"

"I rather die than ever help the likes of your kind..." 

Ozengar throws the bowl at the ground, scattering the fruit. 

"Hmm.. I guess deals are off the table then."

Colton vanishes the stump and bounds Ozengar's whole body against the tree trunk, causing him to grit his teeth in pain from the tightness of the chains.

Bastard witch!

"I can't... do it anyways witch. The spirits have damned.... this place themselves with the mist."

Colton releases the tight squeeze, as the chains slithered to loosen the grip and he walks off. 

"I guess we'll keep trying our way around then. Fret not though, you'll be of help soon enough... whether you like it or not."