The tendrils of gray smoke whirled ferociously around her and they extended like whips. Penny walked towards Haley. A storm of ice and wind and debris swirled making it impossible for anyone to stand near her. She was consumed with so much hatred for the witch that she didn’t  where it began—from the fact that she showed Zoe dreams of gaining Goddess-hood or from the fact that she made Zoe a tool for her means. And Zoe—she became a menace in their lives. Her ambitions surpassed her logic. She couldn’t think of anything beyond herself and the toxicity she threw towards her or at Ludwig was fed by this witch. Haley was the root of the menace, she was the root of all evil. The smoky tendrils lashed out. “Penny!” Brishor shouted when he saw her. “You must control!” 

Ludwig looked at Tova and then at Penny. He held her hand and squeezed it lightly. “We have to let him go Penny…” They saw him getting up and going to the railing of the terrace where he leaned over and gazed into the night and beyond. Soft, chilly breeze carried the scent of roses.Ludwig turned his attention to Penny. He placed his hand to her heart and she gasped. Her heart was beating. What might have looked like a lewd gesture to the world was nothing but a constant reminder for him that she survived that day. She fought the battles and she was alive, not dead. Her beating heart was the proof that she didn’t lay there lifeless. Because that day Tova had said that she might die. He shuddered at the thought.He remembered how after bringing Nestefel, how very pale she looked. Ludwig was surprised that she was lying there with her eye