Before Martha moved on, she fixed the grass she had damaged. Reflecting on her past, Martha recalled the cherished moments spent in the meadow with her childhood friend, Deirdra. As she ventured into the clearing, memories flooded back, offering solace amid the chaos.
“I complain about people, yet in moments of danger, I let my emotions get the better of me,” she chastised herself.
As she walked onto the clearing, Martha recalled how wonderful she felt playing here as a child. She spent a lot of time with her sister and friend Deirdra. The meadow remained just as she remembered it – vast, floral, with grass so delicate it tempted one to lay down and gaze at the stars. In the middle stretched a large lake, beside which stood a cottage. That was Martha’s friend’s house. The witch thought it might be worth taking a moment to rest at Deirdra’s, although the journey hadn’t been long, the emotions and stress quickly drained her strength.
As Martha walked ahead, she once again lost herself in thought. She remembered all the happy moments spent here. She often came here with her family to relax. Martha’s parents and Agnes were friends with Deirdra’s parents, and whenever they had free moments, they spent them together. Those were the few moments when Martha and Agnes forgot about their quarrels and played together. The witch comes from a well-to-do family. Her father, a lightning wizard, is a judge in the witch’s Sabbath. This caused Martha to be trained by her parents and governess to become the best witch. She couldn’t bring shame to the family. But little Martha didn’t care much about that; she preferred to play and daydream, which drove her mother, a water witch, to despair.
Agnes was the complete opposite of her sister. She liked to study and found pleasure in adhering to the rules of proper upbringing.
“Maybe that’s why we used to argue? Agnes wanted what was best for the family, for mom…” Martha thought.
She quickly stopped justifying her sister. She remembered how Agnes scolded her, mocked her, and complained to their parents about anything and everything. Unfinished lessons, tardiness, wandering around the garden. However, the most painful moments for young Martha were when Agnes ridiculed her to their parents behind her back.
“All day she does nothing, maybe she needs to be taught a lesson. Make her clean the whole house, then maybe she’ll stop running after nothing in the fields.” Agnes would say.
“While Martha sits there staring at the sky, I’ve managed to read the entire collection of books on the history of witches.”
Agnes was indeed a very diligent student; she prepared for classes every day, reviewed the material, and practiced her powers. The parents and governess were impressed by the girl’s abilities and diligence. The teacher was supposed to report to the parents of the young witches after class and express her opinion as an educator on the development of the girls, so one can imagine that Agnes was the most praised. The teacher also tried to praise Martha, so as not to widen the already enormous gap between the sisters, but all she could say about the younger sister was that she had a talent for art and literature. It wasn’t enough for the parents; they wanted success in everything.
“What’s the point of drawing nicely? She can’t control her power! She doesn’t know basic spells!” The parents shouted.
Martha stood up and looked at the sky. She felt a strange pressure in her stomach, the same feeling she had every time her parents shouted at her. She loved her family very much, but it was hard for her to forgive all the painful situations from her childhood, so she tried not to think about it too often. But now, as she faces the specter of being accused of failing to fulfill her duties as a forest guardian, she feels like a little girl again, when she disappointed her family. Martha wasn’t afraid of legal responsibility; she was afraid of her family’s reaction.
The witch saw a bat flying in the sky. She would give anything to be able to turn into that animal right now and have no worries. To fly high in the sky, not to worry about anything, to be free and do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. Once again, she lost herself in thought.
“Martha? Is that you?” Martha didn’t hear the question.
“Hello? Martha! Are you okay? What’s going on?” Nothing reached the witch.
“MARTHA!” That shout finally got through to her.
Martha turned her gaze to the caller, who turned out to be her friend. Deirdra stood in front of Martha, frightened, thinking that something bad had happened to her childhood friend because she wasn’t responding to her calls.
“Deirdra! I’m so sorry, I didn’t hear what you were saying. I was watching the flying bats.” Martha said.
“Is everything okay with you? You look… bad.” Deirdra never minced words. She said exactly what she thought.
“Actually… no, it’s not okay. I’m fleeing from a crowd of very angry people. I encountered a monster. It reminded me of my childhood. I’m exhausted. Can I nap at your place?” Deirdra didn’t understand anything from her friend’s chaotic explanation, but seeing her condition, she wanted to help.
She invited her to her cottage, brewed some calming herbs, and gave them to Martha. When her friend had calmed down a bit, Deirdra asked:
“Tell me again, what are you doing here? You were supposed to take care of the forest.” Martha felt very silly.
Earlier, standing in the darkness and being lost in her thoughts, she felt safe to share her feelings, but now, sitting on a bench in Deirdra’s cozy cottage where candlelight illuminated everything, she felt embarrassed in front of her friend. But she couldn’t lie or withhold information from her now. She needed help.
“I’m fleeing from a crowd of enraged villagers. Today, during the day, they attacked my forest, and I couldn’t defend it. There were too many of them. I need help; I have to reach Agnes quickly.” Deirdra was shocked. She didn’t expect such an answer.
“Wait, wait. They’re attacking it right now? Martha, you have to go back there and defeat them!” Deirdra was very determined to defend the forest, even at the cost of her own life.
“Forget it, there are too many of them, and we’re too young and inexperienced to fight a crowd. They would defeat us, and then no one would know that the forest needs help. They would find out when it’s too late, and there would be nothing left to save.” Martha tried to dissuade her friend from the idea.
Deirdra was always in hot water. She acted first, then thought. It was very interesting for young Martha because thanks to Deirdra’s character, there was never a dull moment with her.
“Oh, come on! Two witches can handle a crowd! We have magical powers, did you forget?” Deirdra didn’t want to give up. She had to stick to her guns.
“Deirdra! I am the guardian of the forest, and I decide what to do!” Martha shouted. She quickly regretted it because she knew she had hurt her friend. A friend who was now providing her shelter, water, and food.
“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, I’ve just been through so much today…” Martha tried to explain.
“I can imagine.” Deirdra replied dryly.
“I really apologize. I’ll explain everything, just listen to me for a moment.” Martha pleaded. She didn’t want to ruin this relationship.
“Fine, I’m listening. You mentioned something about a monster and your childhood when you were half-conscious staring into the sky.” Deirdra was angry. She also had a hard time with people and was overwhelmed by various events in her life.
“Half-conscious?” Martha was surprised.
“Yes, half-conscious. I was yelling at you, and you were standing there with your head held high, staring into the sky.” Martha shamefully looked away.
She glanced around the room, which hadn’t changed since she was a child. The room was small, serving as a living room and bedroom in one. Under the window was a trunk with the family’s most valuable belongings, a wardrobe stood to the left, and a double bed was on the right. In the middle of the room was a table with benches attached, soft cushions lying on them for comfortable seating. Such simplicity always softened Martha’s heart because despite the few things, you could feel the family atmosphere of the place. Martha’s home, despite its wealth, was cold and serious. At least that’s how Martha felt.
Martha finally gathered herself and told the whole story. About how people approached Ely, how she tried to discourage them from the forest, how they chased her, and about how she met Magant. Deirdra listened carefully to everything.
“Magant. I still don’t understand how he came to be.” Deirdra commented.
“Neither do I. I didn’t even know Ely was capable of that.” Martha replied.
“And what about your childhood?” Deirdra asked.
“I was tired and scared; silly memories came back to me.” Martha tried to brush it off, feeling embarrassed to talk about it.
“Mhm, okay. So what’s your plan now?”
“I need to get to Agnes as quickly as possible; she’ll know what to do next.” Martha tried to refocus on the mission. She had indulged in unnecessary thoughts long enough; it was time to return to reality.
“Deirdra, I’m very tired. A lot has happened in just one day. Could I stay overnight at your place?” Martha asked.
Deirdra looked at her friend. It was evident that Martha was exhausted. After hearing the whole story, Deirdra felt sorry for her. She no longer felt anger towards her friend. She understood her very well because she also had a lot on her plate dealing with people. Deirdra agreed to let Martha stay overnight; she also promised her dinner and breakfast. However, she still believed they should return to Ely and defend it.
After dinner and a conversation with Deirdra, Martha lay down in bed. She felt safe in the cottage, and the bed was so soft it felt like lying on feathers. Martha quickly fell asleep, but Deirdra couldn’t close her eyes all night. She kept thinking about the recent events. She decided that if Martha didn’t want to fight, it was her decision, but she could and would.
Deirdra got up quietly not to wake Martha, put on her shoes and coat, and left the cottage. She looked around, admiring her home and the meadow, which the witches called Reine. Particularly, she cherished the lake by her cottage; after all, she was a water witch. The lake had no name, but as a child, she decided that since it was so fantastic, it must have a name, and since then, she referred to it as Litorius. As a young witch, she believed it was a name worthy of her beloved body of water. However, now, as she stood by it, preparing for battle, she didn’t feel as carefree as she once did. She watched as the gentle moonlight reflected on the water’s surface and how the delicate breeze made the water tremble. Finally, she set off ahead.
She ran very fast, without stopping or looking back. Even when she was close to the meadow and the cornfield, she didn’t hesitate but burst into the corn, which started hitting her body because she didn’t push the plants aside with her hands. She ran, furious at people, at what they were doing to her beloved ponds, rivers, and their inhabitants, at their desire to destroy the forest that empowered the witches. These negative emotions only added adrenaline to Deirdra. She still had a long way to go, and the sun began to rise, slowly making everything brighter. Deirdra wondered why Martha was so reluctant to fight. She didn’t understand why, as a guardian, she didn’t stand up to fight. After all, it was her duty, her job.
“Be kind to Martha; her family mistreats her, even though she finds solace here,” echoed Deirdra’s mother’s words in Deirdra’s head. Her mother was also a water witch.
Deirdra remembered that her parents often favored Martha when she visited them. The water witch’s mother treated Martha to treats, while Deirdra’s father swung her on a makeshift swing for children. When Martha’s family left, Deirdra overheard her parents talking about how Martha’s family treated one of their children unfairly. They tried to come up with ways to ease the poor child’s burden and what they could do to make the family stop treating her like a leper they were ashamed of.
“Maybe because Martha has been told her whole life that she’s inferior, she believes it, and now she’s afraid to make decisions? Oh! That’s why she wants to go to Agnes! After all, they’ve always held her up as the ideal to emulate, and now Martha believes she can’t do anything without Agnes’s help and judgment.” Deirdra thought.
The witch finally stopped to rest.
“I must conserve the rest of my strength for the fight,” she thought.
She was already close enough to the forest that she could walk the rest of the way at a normal pace.
“I wonder where this monster Magant is? Martha mentioned that it lives in this field.” Deirdra thought.
She didn’t know that the monster had been observing her from a distance all along but wasn’t approaching her. It felt that the witch was connected to the forest and had good intentions.
With her heart pounding heavily in her chest, Deirdra pressed on. She was starting to feel the weight of responsibility for her decision. With each step, the forest grew larger, and the witch felt cold sweat running down her back. Finally, she stood at the edge of the forest and the cornfield. Looking at the beauty and vastness of Ely, Deirdra once again felt the will to fight and the desire to defend the sacred witches’ forest. She took a step forward and heard a voice.
“It’s great that the king made that decision. They should have done it long ago,” the voice said.
Deirdra looked around but couldn’t find anyone who could be speaking. It was still dark; the sun had just begun to rise. The witch decided not to worry about some nobody and continued on her way. Walking quietly, she checked to see if the forest had been damaged.
“I swear, if they cut down even one tree, they’ll regret it,” she said under her breath.
Throughout the journey leading to Martha’s cottage, Deirdra found no signs of destruction. The trees and other plants were intact, and the fox burrows and deer pastures were untouched. The witch wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but she couldn’t. She had to check the entire forest and exact revenge on the people. Deirdra caught a whiff of smoke. It smelled of wood and hay.
“Martha’s cottage. They must have burned her house first,” she thought.
The witch quickened her pace to assess the situation quickly. She hoped to encounter a few villagers there and could rid the forest of them. Perhaps she could even salvage the remains of the cottage?
“Pull the rope! Quickly!” She heard.
Suddenly, the ground slipped out from under Deirdra’s feet, and she felt something tightening around her body, lifting her into the air. It was a trap, and Deirdra was caught. Terrified, she began to struggle, but it was difficult because the rope was securely fastened, and the weight of her own body made it hard for her to move. She searched with her eyes for who could have done this. Two shadows emerged from a distance, heading her way. Deirdra watched them and noticed that they were not villagers but knights, moreover, they had the emblem of their kingdom on their armor. So they must have been here at the king’s command.
“In the name of our gracious ruler, King Birk, I arrest you,” said one of the knights.
He didn’t have colorful, bird feathers on his helmet, which meant he was the lowest-ranking one. Only distinguished knights who had distinguished themselves in battle or army commanders could wear colorful feathers on their helmets.
“Hmph. What a puny knight dares to speak to me,” thought the witch.
She quickly regained her composure because she realized she had little to say in this situation. She thought it might be best to play for time.
“May I know why I’m being arrested? I haven’t attacked either you or the villagers. I have the right to be in Ely, as it is a sacred place for me. So tell me, on what basis am I being arrested?” Deirdra hoped she sounded threatening.
“The king issued a decree stating that every witch is to be captured and brought to the dungeon, regardless of her status,” replied the second knight.
The witch was shocked by this information, but she didn’t let her emotions get the better of her because she had to find a way to escape from here somehow. She created a water droplet and shaped it into a sharp knife, slowly cutting the rope that held her. If she managed to cut this specific rope, she would be free.
“Tell me, why such a decision? Have we, as a community of witches, wronged you?” Deirdra tried to buy as much time as possible.
Her plan with the water droplet is good, but it takes a lot of time. The knights were already getting annoyed.
“Stop talking to her and capture her!” One of them shouted.
The witch recognized by the voice that it was he who had previously ordered to pull the trap’s rope. Suddenly, a large shadow emerged from behind the trees, attacking the knights. Its attack was swift and precise, striking both knights in the head, and they both lost consciousness. Everything happened so quickly that Deirdra didn’t even have time to react. With fear in her eyes, she tried to identify the savior, but he quickly climbed a tree, where the witch was hanging, and cut the rope. Deirdra fell to the ground with a thud. Her head was spinning, her whole body hurt. She looked at the savior. She recognized him.
“Thank you, Magant.”
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