High Witch

“I don’t understand.”

Brayden chewed on his lip. He didn’t understand, either. Actually, he understood a few things.

She was a High Witch.

There were only ever three in the world at a time.

If she was trained, she could do practically anything imaginable.

She hadn’t been through the test.

He had to make sure she never went through the test.

He rubbed his face with his hand, overwhelmed. He took a deep breath, then looked back at Ariel.

“I’ll explain everything, but we need to get inside. This is — delicate. I don’t want to talk about it out here.”

She nodded, and they started to walk back to the inn. He looked at her as they walked, thinking she could not only transport herself to the room in an instant, she could bring the whole room out there. He placed a hand on the small of her back, wanting her to feel reassured. She looked at him, smiling a little. He smiled back, in spite of the serious situation. He really was starting to fall for her.

They arrived at her room. Brayden shut the door and Ariel lit some candles. If anyone saw him go in there they would talk, but that was the least of their troubles. He moved a pile of books from the chair at the desk, and sat down. She sat on the edge of the bed.

“Ariel...” he began, then stopped, looking at her. This was going to be very difficult. “Some witches...there are a few...” He paused again, sighing. “There are three witches in the world, who are more powerful than any other. They can do all kinds of magic, every kind, with amazing strength. These witches can tap into every source of magic in the world — every place where magic exists. There’s so much more to it — so much more to explain. But know this. You are a High Witch.”

She looked at him with concern, her brow furrowed. “How can you tell? From the rocks? That didn’t seem so...powerful.”

Brayden gazed at her. She really didn’t understand. He had to be gentle. “It was the way you did it. The way the magic came out of you, with only the slightest movement. And it’s more than that — when you were standing there, concentrating — you were trying to hold back, weren’t you?”

She nodded. He looked at her closely. “Imagine if you hadn’t.”

She looked down, playing with his handkerchief, which she still held. He knew he shouldn’t, but he walked over to her and sat beside her on the bed. His heart started to beat faster, sitting so close to her. She was so delicate, so warm. He reached out and took her hand in his.

“There’s a lot more to tell you. As I said, a High Witch can do every kind of magic. Instead of having one core gift, you have all of them. You must have noticed your magic was different to that of other people?”

Ariel nodded. “Yes, but I just thought I was — strange. I’ve never heard of High Witches. I assumed some people just had odd powers, a jumbled mess of them. No one told me any different.”

Brayden wondered about that for a moment. Not many people knew about High Witches, so he understood Ariel not knowing what she was. It was a little strange that she knew so little about magic, however, but not unheard of — the way people with magic were still, to this day, hated for being different, meant some were raised with little teaching about their powers — told to suppress it. Brayden would ask her about that later, but there was something important he needed to tell her first.

“Ariel, I want you to know something.” He waited a moment for her to meet his gaze. He took a deep breath. “Those ‘bad things,’ you said you’ve done. They weren’t your fault. You haven’t been trained. Your heart is good, I can tell. You wouldn’t have meant to hurt anyone. It’s not your fault.”

Ariel’s eyes filled up with moisture, and she took off her glasses and wiped away the tears which started to fall. Brayden put his arm around her, and rested her head against his shoulder. He held her while she cried. He knew with every part of him that she was good. He could tell. His heart broke for her.

“Do you think you’re ready to hear more?”

She moved her head to look at him. “Yes,” she said. “Tell me everything.”

He smiled at her, endeared. He wanted to protect her so much. He rested her head on his shoulder again, warmed by her. He bit his lip, dreading telling her the next part. “I’ll start with the test.”

Lenora was dragged to the cliff edge by two large men in the dead of night. A stake stood on the hard ground, large, looming over her, with piles of wood at its base. She turned and twisted in their arms, her dark hair blowing about her in the wind. They tied her to the stake with heavy ropes. She stood there, gasping for breath. She didn’t know what was happening. The moonlight shone down, illuminating the figure that was walking towards her. The two men disappeared into thin air. It was just her, and him.

The very tall man walked towards her. He stood before her, and reached out and grasped her chin in his hand. She glared at him. He smiled.

“Lenora,” he said, his long, dark hair flowing around him, his black eyes piercing. “You’re my first. I’ve longed to do this. I’ve been waiting for so long to turn one of you.”

She began to sob, distraught. “What do you want with me?” she screamed. “What?”

He smiled, but his eyes were still cold. He stood back. “What you did today showed me what you are. The way you tore that man apart, with only a look — amazing. A High Witch, with no idea. A High Witch.”

Lenora looked at him with shock. He’d seen what she’d done. She hadn’t meant to do it — it just happened. She hadn’t meant to kill the man. But when he was holding her down, about to...she shuddered. It was an accident. But she had killed him. And this man knew.

“Who are you?” she cried out.

“My name is Julius,” he said. Suddenly the two men who’d tied her up reappeared, holding a scruffy looking young woman. She was struggling as they held her by either arm. Lenora looked at her in alarm. She stared back at Julius in horror.

He raised his right arm, then threw a ball of fire at the wood by her feet. Lenora struggled against her ropes, desperately trying to escape the blaze which began. The flames burned brighter, higher. They licked the soles of her feet.

“No!” she screamed desperately. He said she was a High Witch — she tried to use her powers, imagine herself being free. The fire climbed up her legs, and she cried out in pain.

“Kill her, and I’ll free you,” Julius said. “Destroy her.”

She stared at him, tears running down her face. The fire scalded her, the pain of her skin burning so intense she could barely breathe. She choked from the smoke. She was in agony.

“Kill her!”

Lenora wailed.

“Kill her!”

She screamed, staring at the young woman. She didn’t want to, she didn’t want to. The girl cried out in terror. Lenora sobbed, screaming again. The pain, the pain. She cried out in agony. Something bubbled in her stomach, something strong, something menacing. She felt it overtake her. She felt it consume her. She cried out once more, in terror, in pain, in release. The power poured out of her. The girl screamed as her body was torn apart, her limbs, her muscles, her organs splayed out. Lenora shut her eyes to the gore. Rain began to pour down.

Lenora felt the burning cease as the water put out the fire. She sobbed loudly, horrified over what she’d done. The guilt consumed her. But then, then...

Suddenly she didn’t notice the pain anymore. She felt something new, something different. She wasn’t distressed anymore. She wasn’t upset. She wasn’t — her.

Water dripped down her as she glared at Julius. He looked at her, eyes narrowed. The ropes fell from her, and she stepped over the wood, crushing it beneath her scalded feet. She walked up to him. She placed her hands on his chest.

“Thank you for freeing me,” she said slowly. He put his hands on her waist, as the rain plummeted down. He smiled.

“Welcome to your new world, Lenora.”

Ariel leapt off of the bed, staring at Brayden in horror. “Why did you tell me that!” she cried. “Why! Do I have to go through the test? What kind of monster would — oh, I can’t believe...”

Brayden rushed to her, grasping her arms. He’d done this all wrong. “Ariel, I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to frighten you. I was trying to prepare you.”

She stared at him, eyes wide. “What’s going to happen to me? Is someone going to come after me?”

He looked at her with concern. “There are those who would want to turn you. The test determines if you’re inherently a good High Witch, or not. If you kill another to save yourself, you’ll fail, and are turned. If you are turned, nothing can bring you back. And you’ll be entwined to the one that turns you for the rest of your life. But that’s why I told you, Ariel. I want you to be safe. You have to learn to protect yourself — protect yourself in case you meet someone who wants to do this to you.”

She looked at him with sorrow. “How do you know all this?”

Brayden shut his eyes. He’d heard the story so many times, told to him in that way, that he forgot how horrifying it would be to someone else. He’d really ruined everything.

“I’ve heard this story all my life. It’s been passed down, in my family.”

Ariel looked at him sadly. “I don’t know what to do.”

He bit his lip, his hands still on her arms. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. You’ve been safe this long — maybe you’ll never come across someone who’ll try to turn you. But you need to be prepared if you do. If you keep this secret hidden...” He frowned. She looked terrified — was shaking, as white as a ghost. He had to comfort her. He didn’t want her to be too distressed.

Brayden put his hands on either side of her face, so she was looking at him. He gazed at her closely, wanting to take away all of her pain. He’d just told her something that would change her life forever. He brushed her cheek with his thumb.

“I’m sorry if I upset you. But you’re not alone in this. I’ll help you in any way I can.”

She took a deep breath. She reached up, placing one of her hands over his. He looked into her eyes, wondering if her heart was beating as fast as his. He wondered if she was feeling the whirl of emotions that he was feeling. He felt nervous, and excited, and so much at once. He should be thinking about their problem. He shouldn’t be thinking about her sensual mouth. But he couldn’t help it.

Very slowly, he brought his mouth to hers, gently brushing her lips. She made a little sigh. He kissed her more deeply, moving his hands down so they were around her waist. She put her arms around his neck, and he parted her lips with his tongue. She sighed again, beginning to move her mouth against his passionately, her tongue entwined with his. A shiver went through him as he tasted her. It was definitely her. The girl from his dreams. He pressed her up close against him, and she moaned. The kiss intensified. He clutched her to him.

He kept kissing her, his breathing becoming ragged, his heart racing. She gasped, clutching his shirt, and he ran one of his hands up her back. She moaned once more, and he didn’t know how much more he could take. He finally broke the kiss, but she kissed him again, once, twice, her lips sensually touching his. He gazed at her, completely breathless. She looked at him, her face flushed, her lips so red. He shut his eyes.

“I’m sorry, I...I shouldn’t have...”

But he wasn’t really sorry. He looked into her eyes. She smiled at him. He smiled back, relieved. He knew he had to go.

“I can’t stay now,” he said. “I’ll come back tomorrow. We’ll talk more then.”

She nodded. He reluctantly stepped back from her, and walked from the room. He shut the door behind him, then walked up the stairs. He sat on his bed, consumed with thoughts of her. He could still taste her.