A MAZE OF GREED

In that evening, Mrs Payne sat in her armchair, swinging it lightly with the help of her feet. Her mind was partially relaxed after Edwin took the responsibility of protecting the Painite. She knew he would keep his word at any cost.

Now the only worry that ate her internally was Reznor. She was on her way back to Vincardine after her meeting with Reznor when a bird came chirping its way and sat on the edge of the wagon.

It chirped for five minutes before flying away again. But Mrs Payne had picked the message it had brought with it. And the message was Darius Garfield taking Reznor with him to Kinsville. The bird informed her about all the details that Reznor had instructed it to send to Mrs Payne.

She only prayed and hoped that Reznor would be safe and would return soon to get his Painite. After all, he was the first one who supported her when others scrunched up their faces in disgust at the very sight of her.

The slow yet steady periodical movements of the armchair relaxed not only her mind but also her body. Her eyes became heavy, and before she knew it, they closed on their own accord.

She thought she would be fast asleep instead, her mind went back to recent memory.

*** Flashback***

Mrs Payne tried sleeping instead of sitting idly, but the sleep was nowhere to come to her. Sighing, she straightened up instead. Her gaze fell on the bag that was placed beside her. She opened it and inserted her hands in its depth.

She glanced at the coachman to see he was focused on the road ahead. She carefully pulled out the jar from her bag. She stared at the contents in it, but soon her vision turned misty due to unshed tears.

She held that jar close to her chest and closed her eyes. A lone drop travelled down her face only to disappear later.

She stayed in that position for a while, revisiting the good old days, remembering the person who provided the right direction to her life.

The wagon lurched because its wheel bumped with a rock on the road. The impact made her body jerk, and that disturbed her peaceful state.

Her eyes were droopy, but they opened in slits as an instinct after the abrupt movement of the wagon. And then she noticed something.

She noticed something moving in the lines of trees, that lined up to both sides of the road. She closed her eyes again, pretending that she was sleeping. She strained her ears, and then she recognised the sounds of footsteps running with their wagon's speed.

It must be a horse... no! It was two horses running at a safe distance from their wagon.

Why would anyone run their horses through the trees and not on the road?

It meant only one thing... she was being followed. she sighed, still in her previous position. She should not have underestimated the next Alpha of the Bluemoon pack.

She yawned, stirring in her place to find a comfortable position because she had a long way to cover yet. Mrs Payne slipped into a deep slumber without any worries.

The next Alpha of the Bluemoon pack also should not have underestimated her!

Hours later, her wagon stopped in the marketplace of a village that she had told the coachman to take her.

Stepping down the wagon with the help of the coachman, Mrs Payne gave him the fare that was predecided. She watched the coachman riding the wagon away. She then scanned the area around.

She felt thirsty after a long trip and thus decided to take a glass of juice from the nearby shop. She sat on the beach enjoying the cool sweet liquid as her eyes watched the two men amongst the crowd carefully.

She smirked as she touched the rim of the glass to her lips. After finishing the juice, she visited some shops. She was not particularly interested in any shopping. But she needed to buy the time.

Besides the men could use a good trip of the market.

And when the right time came, she went into a shop of glass and mirrors. By now, she was sure that they would not follow her into the shop immediately and would wait for her to come out.

And that was her exact plan.

Entering the shop, she avoided turning to her left, where the shop owner was busy cleaning the items in his shop. She walked straight towards the wall in front of her, which was covered by an old antique mirror. That was probably the only thing in the shop which was not for sale.

Glancing around, she again checked the time for the confirmation. And when that exact moment came, she put her first finger on the surface of the mirror. She made some indistinct pattern on it, and the next moment, the portal was opened.

Mrs Payne smiled before pushing her hand inside the portal. Within the blink of an eye, she disappeared as if she was not there in the first place.

Landing on the other end of the portal, she was relieved that she had cut the chase for Lester's men. Now that one problem was solved, she had two more to handle.

But first, she decided to roam around the place she once called her home- the Warthford Island!

Mrs Payne was living in nostalgia as she walked on the streets of the Island, visited her once favourite places and relived the good old memories. The only difference was she was alone this time, and the spots on both her sides felt empty and cold.

She missed her husband terribly. He would have felt ecstatic coming here after decades. This place was so special for them as they had gone through so much here.

They met each other on this very Island, fell in love and then fought together.

She kept wiping her eyes every now and then as the memories that she had preserved in the corner of her heart resurfaced again.

Walking through the town and then the familiar paths, she finally reached the top of a hill where an old and dilapidated hut was.

Walking inside it, she opened another portal, and at the other end was Malvadogar- the place that changed her life forever.

Although Warthford Island was not much changed, Malvadogar had changed dramatically. It had lost its previous glory, and as she walked on the main street, she noticed the emptiness that overpowered the place.

She saw abandoned houses. There were no witches or wizards to taunt her or insult her. The whole place looked as good as dead.

Goosebumps covered her skin as she kept walking till the end of the road, where another hut was. She ran her fingers on the strange designs painted in white on the wall of the house before opening the door.

Entering the small house, she was not surprised to see that it was actually a four-storey villa-sized place, that was full of so many interesting things that one could not see all of them in a single day.

Unlike the previous chattering and hustle-bustle, she was greeted by scorching silence.

So what she had heard about Malvadogar was not exactly a lie she believed.

It had indeed lost its once charm!

Mrs Payne sighed. She pulled her bag over her shoulder before walking to the stairs that were spiral in design. She climbed them all the way to the fourth floor, where she was sure to meet the person who was waiting for her visit for some months now.

She barely set her feet on the fourth floor when a hairy black coloured ball jumped at her. She caught it with one hand while trying to hold her bag still.

She laughed watching the ball of hair which lacked eyes, ears and its mouth was hidden under its long hair. It made strange noises, but she knew the meaning of it.

"I am happy to meet you again too Muffy!"

She looked up when a man appeared in front of her through thin air.

"Welcome back Isabella!"

Reznor smiled at her. She observed him from head to toe, noticing his grey hair and white beard. He had aged well!

"Thank you Reznor! It is pleasure coming here after years!!" Mrs Payne smiled.

"Come on Muffy, let her take a breath!" Reznor said, extending his hand and the black creature left Mrs Payne to jump at Reznor. He caught it easily, then gestured Mrs Payne to have a sit on the nearby couch.

He moved his wand, and within a second, the table was full of food, fruits and juices.

"For you!"

She smiled at him gratefully before picking a glass of water.

"How are you doing Isabella? Its been a long time that the young bold girl has now turned an old, wise lady!"

She smiled at him again. "I am doing well... actually very good Reznor!"

"I am sorry about Oscar. That was very shocking to me." His voice changed, and he genuinely sounded remorseful.

Shadow of hurt crossed Mrs Payne's face, but she masked it quickly before nodding her head. "Perhaps that was his fate." She said.

Reznor scoffed mentally. These humans... always hide behind the shield named fate.

Instead of saying that loud, he only nodded his head.

"Malvadogar does not look like its older version." She commented.

She saw Reznor's face hardened. "Time changed everything!"

She knew how sensitive that topic must be for him, so she avoided pushing it too far.

"Reznor, why do you wanted to meet me in person after all these years?" Mrs Payne came to the main point.