High Witch

A week passed. Brayden and Ariel stayed with a woman from the village, who let them rent her spare room. She was a friend of the healer, and took pity on them. No one knew their true story — Brayden said Ariel had been attacked by a thief while they were traveling. They’d remained indoors most of the time while Ariel healed. She had used her magic to speed up the healing process, her injury improving very quickly. Her stitches were taken out after a couple of days, and her soreness had faded rapidly over the course of the week.

Brayden lay with her on their bed one evening. “How are you feeling?” he asked. He lay on his back, Ariel beside him, her arm against his chest. She nestled close to him.

“Better,” she said. “There’s no pain any more.”

They lay in silence for a long while. Candles cast shadows across the room. Brayden stroked her back.

“What’s on your mind?” he asked. “You haven’t been — talking much lately.”

She sighed. “I’m just waiting for their next move,” she said. “You are too, Brayden. They could have found us so easily, while we were waiting for me to heal. They could have come after us by now. They’re planning something, and it hurts so much not knowing what it is.”

Brayden frowned, holding her closely. “You’re right,” he said. “You’re right about everything. I don’t know what to do, Ariel. I believe in you so much. I just wish Julius didn’t know about you. We still don’t know how he found out.”

He shut his eyes, sorrow consuming him. Ariel kissed him on the cheek.

“I don’t know how he found out, either,” she said softly, playing with the fabric of his shirt. “I’d barely used my magic in years. I used it when I was a child, but stopped when my uncle told me not to. It only came out when I was angry or upset.”

Brayden stroked her back again, thinking. “What about...I don’t want to upset you, but do you remember how you reacted when your parents died?”

Ariel was quiet for a moment. “I was three — I don’t know. I don’t remember them at all. I was told they died in a carriage accident, and I was with them, but somehow I survived. I don’t know how I reacted. I don’t remember.”

Brayden felt sadness overtake him. “I’m sorry about your parents,” he said softly. “That must have been horrible, growing up without them. I’m so sorry you went through that.”

Ariel remained silent. Brayden ran his hand over her hair. She sniffed.

“The thing is, I was very young when it happened. How could I have done anything? How could I have used my magic at that age?”

Brayden hesitated. “You’d be surprised what you could have done,” he said. “You were born with your powers. You may not have been able to use them on purpose when you were very young, but at a time of great distress, something might have happened. Something big. Someone out there would know.”

Ariel became tense in his arms. “You mean Julius could have known about me? From when I was a child? That’s horrible!”

“No, Ariel, I don’t think he would have known from then. But when he started looking for a new High Witch, he would have spoken to countless people in his search. He knows what to look for. If you did do something very powerful at some stage, he would have found out about it. I’m not trying to upset you, my darling, I was just trying to figure this out. I’m so sorry.”

Brayden turned on his side, gathering Ariel to him. He kissed her hair.

“I love you,” he breathed. He held her closely. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to hurt you.”

Ariel sniffed again. Brayden knew he’d upset her. “I love you, too,” she finally said. She kissed him on the chest. He smiled.

“I remember what you said — what you said about love winning. Do you still believe that?”

She looked up at him. A smile touched her lips. His heart was warmed by the sight. He smiled back.

“Brayden, I want to believe it. I really do. The way I feel about you — the way I feel when I’m with you — I can’t believe that’s not more powerful than the most dark magic. I can’t believe that darkness could defeat love. I want to hold onto the thought that we’ll come through this, but we have to face so much. I don’t know what to think. All I know is that you mean the world to me, and I’d never give up having met you.”

His heart swelled in his chest, and he kissed her, holding her close. He wanted to kiss her all night, make love to her before she was taken away from him. He wanted to savor every precious moment they had together, before something went wrong. She kissed him back passionately, and everything suddenly felt good, felt right. He pressed her up against him, then abruptly pulled back.

“Are you ready? I was waiting until you were better.”

She smiled at him, and gently brushed his lips with hers. “I think we’ve waited long enough.”

He smiled at her, gazing at her fondly. “Oh, Ariel,” he breathed, kissing her deeply. She sighed in his arms. Everything was right. He had her. They’d get through it, whatever it was. They had each other. If their love couldn’t win, nothing could.

Brayden awoke early the next morning, cuddled close to Ariel. He drew the blankets over them more closely, as they lay in the cold room. Ariel was still asleep. He felt her breathing slowly next to him.

His mind began to drift over what they talked about last night, and over what they were going to do next. The usual anxiety that had been following him the last couple of weeks returned. It only disappeared when he was kissing Ariel; when he was making love to her. He didn’t know what they were going to do — where they were going to go. He sighed. It was all so difficult.

He felt an odd sensation come over him. It was as if a memory was on the edge of his mind, something dark, something unpleasant. He struggled to remember what it was. A dream? Was it a dream? He frowned, then images flashed through his mind.

Julius and Nadia.

His mother’s house.

His mother.

He gasped, and quickly sat up. Ariel woke up and looked at him. He scrunched his eyes shut. “No, no, no!” he cried, desperately not wanting it to be real. He rubbed his forehead, then turned to her.

“I had a dream. Julius and Nadia. They’ve captured my mother. They’re holding her hostage. They have her, Ariel! I don’t know what to do!”

She took a deep breath, and sat up. “I know. I had the same dream. I know, Brayden.”

They sat quietly, while the seriousness of the situation sunk in. Ariel sighed.

“We go to them,” she said softly. “It’s the only way.”

Brayden looked at her, wishing this wasn’t happening. He choked back tears.

“You know what will happen. We’ll be walking right into it.”

Ariel looked down, then nodded. “I know. But we have no choice. It’s what they’re counting on. We have to do this.”

He moved her hair away from her face. “I love you,” he said. “More than anything. Whatever happens — it’s not your fault. I’ll love you forever. You’re everything to me.”

She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. She moved forward and leaned against him. “I’d never hurt you,” she said. “I never would.”

He held her as she wept quietly against his chest. He didn’t say anything. Maybe, somehow, this would work out. Maybe, in some way, they would all survive. But he could see the outcome unfolding in his mind. They might save his mother, but Ariel wouldn’t get away from Nadia this time. And Julius would have some kind of elaborate plan in place. There was really only one way this could go.

As good as Ariel was, no one had ever passed the test.

And they were walking right into it.