Read Online Tales of Aradia The Last Witch Volume by L.A. Jones - Free Book Online

heavily and went into the cave together.
    The cave was damp, smelly, and chilly, but most of
all it was spooky. In spite of that, Aradia could not help but feel
that this cave did indeed have the answers to her past. Somehow, in
some visceral way, she felt like this cave held a link to other
hidden witches.
    “Hey check it out!” Ross cried, his light focused on
a spot at the center of the cave. He bent and picked up a small
object from that spot.
    “Is that–” Liza asked.
    “My wallet! It’s still here,” Ross replied. “My
note’s still inside.”
    Aradia took the note and unfolded it. “‘Dear people
who lost something important. If you lost something here recently,
call me at this number. If you can describe in detail what it is,
I’ll give it back.’ Really, Dad? You wrote this like I was a wad of
cash.”
    “Couldn’t take any chances,” Ross replied, waving his
light around the cave.
    The three of them wandered. The cave was shallow, but
it opened to the east. Though they had started early, it had taken
them far longer to find the cave than they’d anticipated, and the
sun was high in the sky. Little light entered, making exploration
difficult, and they had only the one flashlight.
    Ross returned several times to one particular wall.
It seemed to be a dead end, but he was not so sure. Puzzled and
curious, Ross went to the wall and ran his hand over it. He did not
know what he expected to happen, but nothing did. He rubbed his
fingers together. It wasn’t what was happening, it was what wasn’t happening. He still wasn’t sure what that was though
o rather, what it wasn’t.
    He looked down at his palm, and he froze.
    “Hey guys,” he said. He widened the beam to create
some ambient light. “This cave is filthy, right? Covered with dirt
and mold and bug droppings?”
    “Nice, Dad,” Aradia replied.
    “Bear with me,” he said. He ran his hand over the
wall then held it up to them, palm out. “Why isn’t my hand
dirty?”
    Aradia's mouth dropped open in shock. With unusual
trepidation, she crept to her father’s side.
    “I feel… warm,” she stated. She didn’t really know
what she meant, and neither of her parents questioned her.
    Her hand shook as she reached ever-so-slowly to
repeat her father’s act of brushing the wall.
    She swept her hand across the stony surface. For a
moment, she was terribly disappointed, but also relieved. It felt
like normal rock. However, no sooner had she touched the wall than
it began to melt like a pad of butter plopped atop steaming
vegetables. All three Prestons jumped back in surprise.
    When the wall finally stopped melting, all that was
left was a hazy rippling mass of grey. Without warning or ceremony,
Aradia stepped through it, followed promptly by her parents.
    The sight that met their eyes was a curious and
frightening one: an old, abandoned village, ripe with the stench of
death. Smoke rose from burned out huts, clearly built mostly of
wood and thatch. Animal carcasses, those of horses, turkeys, and
goats, rested in their pens. Wood and iron tools lay abandoned near
the huts and in the fields. Behind them was nothing but a seemingly
solid stone wall.
    “This place looks like it’s been abandoned,” Liza
said.
    “Not abandoned,” Aradia corrected.
    “No,” Ross agreed. “More like razed to the
ground.”
    Aradia began to tremble and her mother wrapped her
arms around her daughter's shoulders. Aradia did not shrug her
off.
    The Prestons slowly explored the entire village. Ross
entered many of the huts checking for survivors, but every time he
returned shaking his head and looking ever more defeated.
Eventually Aradia abandoned caution and called out, "Hello? Hello?
Anyone here?"
    “I’m not sure that’s wise,” Ross stated. His voice
was the only response to her calls.
    “Why not? We didn’t come here for nothing.”
    “Somebody attacked this village, destroyed it,” Ross
replied. “These buildings are still smoldering, so the