《Matriarch of the Bone》


 1:FLIGHT

    Pride, this coming flood was because of their pride, but by the Blood, did she enjoy it.


    Matriarch Zara grinned while she fingered the shark bone necklace. She was a stout woman, slender in comparison to her sisters, but the type of appearance who¡¯s cooking would have filled many a two storied inn.


    Distant rumblings shook her from her momentary lapse from reality, snatched away her grin. The flood was coming, and reminiscing on the good years wouldn¡¯t serve her now. They held the gates, they kept their spawn safe, but it was doomed. She knew it to be true, but her sisters¡¯ resistance was not the worst outcome.


    Zara tucked her grey strands into her head wrap, and flexed her bony fingers. She took a deep breath and enjoyed the glow of colour in each of her gemmed rings. Her hands delved into the Unseen and produced her bone wand, tipped with a shrunken skull and jagged, bejewelled teeth. A muttered incantation later, and her cosy hut faded from existence.


    The rumbling was as loud as thunder now that she stood in the midst of the Skeletal Grove. Arcs of flashing power sparked between the gaps of the canopy above, dancing like lightning in the night sky. Another wave of her bone wand later and her plump body was armoured in stygian dragon bone.


    Zaria delved into the Unseen again to produce her dragon bone staff. As black as her armour, and with a moulding incantation, her bone wand became its head. Power surged through her entire body. It made her salivate, not just at the current raging flow beneath her flesh, but the potential of her surroundings.


    Her eyes sparked with strengthened vision, seeing the fibres of existence like diamond dust floating in the air. It flowed in the veins of every blade of grass, in every minute crevice of bark shielding every tree nearby. She saw the silvery hairline cracks in their barrier surrounding and protecting their grove. Whenever it rumbled, the hairline cracks glowed before stretching further and deepening.


    They¡¯ve always been good at being desperate, Zara scoffed to herself.


    She waved her hand and bones grew from the ground before her, fusing together into a ring. The Matriarch sat cross-legged upon it and let it carry her towards the source of all the racket.


    Her eyes scanned her surroundings as more sisters emerged from the Unseen. Some already armoured in bones and wielding their wands, accompanied by their children. Most were accompanied by a handful of children, equally armoured, and wielding weapons themselves.


    Urk came into her mind, but they needed to be away, that was the plan.


    She adjusted the dragon scales between and beneath the bones protecting her, and adjusted her dragon scale helm. Should she fail to convince her sisters, the natural protection from the dragon remains would serve her well. A drastic precaution in truth, but if she wasn¡¯t so cautious, then this attack by the youthful brats would have caught her by surprise.


    ¡°Matriarch!¡± Sister Bellona cried when she dismounted from her bone carrier. ¡°We need your wisdom!¡±


    The barrier was near pristine before her, with the hairline cracks only brightened by the constant cannon fire lighting the blackness beyond, before crashing into it. Arcs of power coupled with the cannon ammunitions.


    Damn bitches have Imperial firepower, She grumbled to herself. That would complicate things.


    ¡°Matriarch!¡± Sister Bellona screeched again, after another volley of fire and witchcraft deepened the hairline cracks. ¡°How did they discover our grove?¡±


    ¡°Who are you speaking of?¡±


    ¡°Matriarch?¡±


    ¡°Have you seen who bombards us so consistently? Has the veil of darkness revealed the faces of our attackers?¡±


    ¡°Who else would attack our grove?¡±


    ¡°I see cannon fire,¡±


    ¡°Amongst the power as well, Matriarch,¡± Sister Bellona hissed.


    There were more sisters marching to and fro and eyeing the barrier, and their pairing, while also scrambling to muster their own power. Their children scurried around wearing makeshift armour, clutching crude weapons, acting as tails to their plump, elderly grandmothers.


    ¡°Perhaps we have a traitor in our midst?¡±


    ¡°What good would poking at our sisters to oust a potential traitor serve, with the enemy at our doorstep?¡±


    ¡°Matriarch,¡± Bellona¡¯s pause and narrowed eyes unsettled her at first, but another volley drew her attention to the barrier again.


    ¡°It cannot be forgotten that someone has let loose our secrets, and punishment must be severe once victory is ours.¡±


    ¡°I look forward to seeing your justice. For now, gather Sisters Lana, Olga and Yudra, organise the defence, spare your children, raise the lesser skeletons and I will awaken the Guardians.¡±


    ¡°Matriarch, is that necessary?¡±


    ¡°You see the cannons, whoever has come for us has the backing of the Empire. We will need all our power,¡± Zara smiled before mounting her hovering bone ring once more. ¡°Do not over exert yourselves in maintaining the barrier, save yourselves for the fight to come.¡±


    She almost spoke of watching over their children, but Sister Bellona was unique on such matters. Bellona was the first to resist her new discovery, the chance to circumvent their curse and procreate in their own way. Matriarch Zara was a pioneer, a visionary, but to Sister Bellona, a danger. There were a handful of sisters beside her, but one by one they couldn¡¯t resist. Now Sister Bellona stood alone.


    Another volley of cannon fire and power rumbled the barrier like thunder from a monstrous storm. Perhaps Bellona had the right of it.


    More sisters emerged from the Unseen, some greyer than others, along with their children. The lush grass and soil below her floating ring rumbled, bubbling before bones of sparkling white emerged. Diamonds the size of dust sparkled between them, merging the bones together to form their undead defenders.


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    Matriarch Zara gazed ahead, towards the rising heart of the grove. A grove within another, with stones and dragon bone towering as high as the thick trees within. Moss littered the bones and stones, blending them to the dense foliage behind. Ancient, far older than herself, unchanged since the last Matriarch discovered her making the Last Sacrament at the grave of her only son. But her eyes quickly fixed on the figure standing beside the archway entrance and she smiled.


    Upon arrival, Urk bowed in all their glorious regalia, the only other living being wearing the same stygian dragon bone armour within the grove. A special suit she fashioned from her own, leaving her lower body undefended. Urk was of her body, they deserved the armour of a Matriarch as well.


    ¡°Grandmother,¡± Urk bowed when she stepped off of her floating ring.


    She always thought them tall for a goblin, and far ahead of the others. Urk could speak more than a pair of words with their guttural voice.


    ¡°Rise child,¡± she smiled, admiring the glistening armour, then frowned at the stench of blood emanating from their bone short swords.


    ¡°You said¡­ no witnesses Grandmother, I obeyed,¡± Urk bared both of their short swords and grinned.


    She pinched their cheek and enjoyed their shared dark umber complexion. Urk¡¯s hair was as coarse and dark as what hers used to be, tied into a topknot. The beginnings of a beard littered their chin and spotted their jaw. Urk was old amongst the goblins, but they were growing faster than she expected.


    ¡°Is everything¡­ right? Grandmother has troubles, I will¡­ fix.¡±


    ¡°No, thank you,¡± she smiled, sinking into Urk¡¯s bulbous yellow eyes, with its black slits for pupils. ¡°Is everything ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she caught Urk¡¯s hesitation.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Urk bared their fangs and their tongue danced over their teeth. A habit whenever they were deep in thought, it bounced their overgrown, pointy ears.


    ¡°Is it wrong¡­ we are running away?¡±


    ¡°Not running, restarting, my love. We are doomed, and I will save us.¡±


    ¡°Only us?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry my love, it is safer if I only have to worry about the two of us,¡± she didn¡¯t know why it pained her to say that. She cared little for her sisters in truth, this was all a means to an end, and Urk was her end.


    All sisters had their reasons for doing the Last Sacrament so late in their lives, no doubt many of them had the same reason as she did. A chance to have a family again, Urk was more than a compromise. The Sacrament promised power, and now she wielded it after some years of struggle, rose to become Matriarch to truly have what she sought. Now her time here was over, and this attack was the perfect cover, if a little orchestrated.


    But her sisters wouldn¡¯t suffer.


    Another thunderclap of a barrage widened the hairline cracks on the barrier into gaping crevices. They were slow to close, and widened further as the barrage became more frequent.


    ¡°I have prepared, come Grandmother,¡±


    ¡°A moment Urk, I must prepare the defence.¡±


    Matriarch Zara twirled with purpose and clutched her dragon bone staff with both of her hands. Her chanting began as she strode away from the heart of the grove towards the surrounding open fields and channelled as much power as she dared.


    Zara¡¯s vision became like diamonds, her veins pumped with molten power, rumbling beneath her flesh. Her hands vibrated and itched, begging to unleash the power she amassed, sparking like lightning from her fingertips while her staff glowed. She shimmered with pure power, sparkling like diamonds as her aura of power grew.


    ¡°Arise!¡±


    The earth rumbled beneath her feet, bubbling as her veins did. It tilled the grass and the soil took over. She felt the power mould the skeletons together beneath the earth, writhing and shifting, before fully formed claws and hands burst out of the soil. All in formation, kept together by diamond dust, the humanoid and animal skeletons emerged around her. An army of white of many hues, the gaping orbits in their skulls glittered like diamonds.


    Her aura faded, the rumbling beneath her flesh calmed, but her fingers still tingled while they gripped her staff. There were more humanoid skeletons than beasts, and most stood with all their limbs intact. It fatigued her somewhat, but the barrier above had become a permanent picture of shattered glass. Every crack was as wide as a flash of lightning. They grew as the barrage continued, with no sign of repair.


    ¡°Defenders!¡± She shouted; the raised bones hummed in attention. ¡°All are your enemies but my blood. Prevent everyone else from the heart, and leave none alive.¡±


    There was a collection of grinding bones and chattering teeth in reply. Then an ocean of bones marched ahead as she returned to the heart of the grove. The bones never interrupted her stride, nor did she for them, and when she stood before Urk¡¯s enormous eyes again, a wall of the risen bones stood guard behind them.


    She smiled at her goblin child and wavered again when he grimaced.


    ¡°Ready?¡±


    Urk nodded and they marched through the mossy archway into the heart.


    The heart of the grove was little more than a great hall built of moss swarmed stone and dragon bone. Power thrummed beneath her feet as she strode towards the first of the four cold braziers. She saw the signs of Urk¡¯s efforts in the ground, where the goblin dragged the braziers into place.


    Matriarch Zara flicked her hand at the first brazier and crystalline flames sparked with a crack. Silver and clear, but not warm, yet as beautiful as a grounded star. She repeated the flick at all the braziers while chanting the Matriarch¡¯s Beckon, and glowed again. An aura of glittering diamonds in the centre, Urk clung to her skirts and glowed with her.


    ¡°Arise Guardians of the Grove, our home is in danger!¡±


    The foundations of the heart rumbled, moss floated off the surrounding stones and bones. Cracks formed as the focused earthquake split open the earth. She felt Urk¡¯s rushing heart, their speedy breath and placed a comforting hand on their dragon bone protected shoulder.


    They rose together in a cage of enormous bones, blazing searing fire that only warmed them in its embrace. The cage became an enormous torso, held together by the diamond power, like sinew between the bones. Cavernous, safe, but her eyes saw through the gaps and widened in awe at the aura that surrounded the Guardian.


    Ruins remained of the heart; rubble littered the well tilled earth. Matriarch Zara blinked and her vision was close to the cracking barrier, almost above the tree line. There were flashes towards the south, where she left Sister Bellona, cannon fire and power. Her chest lurched again.


    ¡°Free us from this doom Guardian,¡± Matriarch Zara commanded and felt Urk squeeze her hand as the Guardian lurched up into the air.


    Urk¡¯s already bulbous eyes widened further, digging their nails into her hand. At the same time, she watched as she burst through the barrier, turning it into diamond dust, scattering it to the winds. Her heart warred with all the conflicting emotions, abandoning her sisters, relief at escaping with Urk, trepidation for what would come. One surged to the fore however, joyous freedom.

 2:RESTART

    Freedom, pure and unadulterated even within the protective cage of the Guardian¡¯s bones. Her cheeks ached from her constant smile, though she wasn¡¯t often awake. Thankfully there wasn¡¯t much to see high up in the sky, beyond clouds and strife. She glimpsed stars and more beyond, hovering above rain and storms. She shivered despite the bright sun ever shining through the gaps of the bones.


    Time became a blur, and there wasn¡¯t much keeping her grounded to reality beyond Urk¡¯s tight grip on her hand. Even while they slept her little goblin clung to her without fail. It was important, for the Guardian pulled more of her being into itself, sapping her of her strength. She was Matriarch only to the Guardians now, but they siphoned her power.


    Zara awoke to gloom, and icy cold winds, though the horizon appeared bright. She felt drained, and her clothes were flimsy upon her emaciated body. Her eyes begged to shut again, but every time her head drooped, Urk squeezed her hand. The goblin was curled into a ball, still wearing their dragon bone armour, while hers had vanished. She hadn¡¯t the energy to react, nor even feel herself as the beautiful sunrise filled her lofty vision.


    Fresh air, and warm sunlight trickled through the gaps in the bones. It softened her again; she smiled and felt her eyes droop. Urk¡¯s grip tightened, pinching almost, and she yanked her hand away, again and again to no avail.


    Where is my staff? Zara asked herself with a sleepy smile on her face. Her hand shifted, twitched really, but the thought vanished from her mind and soon she was curling into a ball beside Urk, letting go.


    Zara¡¯s next awakening was rife with pain, and spurred on by a fall. Much too fast and too steep, but not the kind that would have you jumping up in a soft bed. The Guardian fell, devoid of the power that reanimated it. A sudden vanishing that was followed by a rush that sank her stomach. Brief, for her consciousness only returned for a blink of the fall, and now in the deep darkness of night, amongst soil and wild grass and roots and upturned trees.


    She yelped when she shifted, focused in her left upper arm, something poked her humerus and filled her eyes with tears. Zara groaned and stifled a scream as she sat up. The excruciating, flesh tearing pain might have been focused in her arm, but her entire body throbbed and ached after every slight twitch.


    Her eyes finally dared to lower towards her arm, and the sight filled her throat with searing bile. A black bone bore right through her arm. Blood congealed both ends, but the sharpest tip poked through the inner side of her arm and even pricked her side.


    Zara shut her eyes and cursed under her breath, trembling, before fighting for her body to calm itself. A few droplets trickled down her cheeks but she soon opened her eyes and searched her surroundings. When Urk¡¯s small body didn¡¯t appear, she panicked and surged to her feet, then groaned as her head filled with fuzz. Her throat burned with bile again, but she forced it back down and blinked until her eyes adjusted to the deep darkness.


    She tested each step in the darkness, searching for anything that wasn¡¯t a shattered branch. It was truly a crash landing. Her surroundings were swarmed by felled trees, splintered branches and loose leaves. Eventually she stubbed her toe on her dragon bone staff, stifled another curse and snapped off her wand from its head with gritted teeth.


    The dragon bone in her arm proved a minor inconvenience with one wave of her wand. Instead of removing it she melded it to her flesh, diminishing it into its base form before using it to heal her entire body.


    Zara stood fatigued after it was done, aching, but nothing more. She glowed with power now and fused her wand and staff together once more. Her mind focused on Urk now, for that was a bone from their armour.


    The darkness deepened, despite the clear night above, it mocked her and panic rushed her chest. She dropped to her knees and snatched at the mess beneath her when her eyes failed, groping at the mess below. Zara was frantic, teary eyed, with chaos in her heart, still groggy from her sudden and painful awakening. None of this was supposed to happen as it did.


    Stop! Her courage screamed as her vision blurred. She quelled her trembling, and put a stopper to her pitiful worry.


    Calm yourself, you¡¯re not powerless. You are the Matriarch.


    Zara sniffed and wiped her eyes with her muddied hands. She snatched up her staff and made light out of a ball of diamonds above her head. It sparkled and glittered, but best of all it glowed like the brightest lanterns that stood tall amongst the cobblestone streets of an imperial town.


    She sparked three more diamond orbs and spread them out from herself, inspecting the vastness of damage the Guardians caused. A scar along the dense and ancient looking forest she found herself within. No sign remained of the Guardians other than their destruction, but during a moment of pause, she felt their presence hum beneath the earth.


    Her new found calm was a necessary accomplishment, for when she did find Urk, it shattered her heart. Her goblin child was a mangled thing between two shattered trunks. An arm bent the wrong way, the other crushed beneath one of the squashed trees. Their blood already clotted around their dragon bone armour, which was cracked and on the brink of disuse.


    Zara yelped and rushed towards them, waving her staff and flinging the debris from her little one. What remained of their dragon bone armour was just enough to keep their little heart going. Bones were reset and wounds closed with more magical waves. She held the calm and slumbering Urk in her arms, refusing to let them go.


    Hours passed until she trusted Urk¡¯s body was stable before placing them on a makeshift litter of softened leaves and branches. She rose with her depleted strength and waved her flimsy arms to build a makeshift cabin. Every wall raised drained her further, her cheeks hollowed, and her skin sagged. By the time she carried Urk into their new bed, she collapsed in the middle of the largest room, whatever it was, hardly furnished, but thankfully she thought to place a thick carpet to soften her fall.


    *


    A thimbleful of sinkweed milk, then a pinch of crushed winebite leaves and a cup of goat milk, she recited the recipe in her mind while she rushed around her makeshift kitchen. Mouthing it to herself, for any sort of change would lead to the worst reaction.


    Zara rushed to bottle it after watching it turn pink, with little dots of black floating within it. Just right, she shook it and emerged through the curtain of dried leaves into the ruinous waiting area of the shack. Concocting these alchemical solutions were more than enough to have her burned, brewing beyond the comforts of her home was the first choice she made.


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    Her anonymous client, who she suspected was one Lisbet Kind, jumped upon her return. The green flecks in her hazel eyes sparkled as her eyes widened. Zara smirked beneath her own mask and veil, before presenting her potion to the woman.


    ¡°Here we are then,¡± Zara spoke in a voice far from her own, gruff and hoarse, presenting her medicinal concoction. ¡°One spoonful in a cup of clean and warm water, two spoons if it is cold, at sunrise. You must not drink any spirits from sunrise to sunset, or it will make you spew out your stomach, understood?¡±


    Her client nodded, wide eyed.


    ¡°If this is for a child, only use warm water and half a spoon. Repeat my instructions to me.¡±


    Her client did, after a moment¡¯s hesitation, and with a voice that confirmed it was Lisbet before her. She squeaked, but did not miss a step. Lisbet mumbled her thanks and handed a rather fat pouch in payment. Zara watched the woman hesitate before the rickety door of the shack, then she spun around with fearful eyes.


    ¡°Is¡­would prayer harm its¡­ should I avoid prayer?¡±


    Zara fought back a snort, and was glad for the veil that covered her bemused expression. They really did think she was a woods witch, when all she did was alchemy. Of course, the fear of her potential wrath was what kept them coming back, rather than the proven efficacy of her potions. An amusing irony, one she didn¡¯t mind playing into, though she knew Lisbet had a sickly girl, which only made the coin pouch heavier in her hand.


    ¡°If it calms your mind and heart, pray away, my potions are beyond such influences.¡±


    Her answer both softened and perturbed her, perfect. There was a glint of relief in her eyes and then she was off, rushing away from the shack and back to town.


    The Imperium was strict on who was allowed to wield power, and what sort of power, within their ever-growing borders, but she wasn¡¯t one to scoff at theirs either. Belief was irrelevant, whatever they wielded was very effective, divine or not. As long as she could continue her trade in secret, she didn¡¯t care.


    Zara lingered for a moment, listening to the creaking trees and rustling leaves outside her shack. Not for any more clients, but for anyone fool enough to believe she would walk out as well. This was one of a few shacks she erected outside Linken, all of them well stocked, all of them equipped for escape should Inquisitors come knocking. So far, the townsfolk were wise enough to see value in her wares, and kept her an open secret, though she had heard of a few soldiers muttering about the witch in the woods.


    She turned back into her makeshift kitchen and cleared up the little mess remaining, which wasn¡¯t much. It made escaping easier, should time be against her. Ingredients were stored away, jars and bottles wrapped in cushioned boxes, shoved within cabinets. The bottles and glasses were easy to replace, and a fraction of her payment, the ingredients were a matter of knowledge, and she possessed plenty.


    Zara eyed her workspace one last time before nodding to herself and made her way to the covered trap door in the corner. She dragged the barrel to the side, then lifted the rug, and false floor before lifting the metal handle with a quick tug. Only the false floor would remain above the door, but it blended sufficiently with the grimy floor that most eyes wouldn¡¯t think twice to investigate.


    She undressed her veil and mask, removed her apron and thickened cloak within the tunnel after lighting the first lamp. Another barrel waited, and she stuffed them into it, before covering it again with the cloth. Zara smiled to herself as she held her lamp up against the darkness ahead of her. Her legs knew the way, and her mind enjoyed the potential of the heavy pouch.


    I might help Uren with his little girlfriend, she snorted at the thought. The girl was much too timid for him, but who was she to judge?


    The fool boy had love in his eyes, following her around like a puppy. At least he seemed happy, at least it took him away from the barracks in the centre of town. The Imperials had a way of drawing in able bodied men to their ranks with worrying efficiency.


    ¡°Grandmother!¡±


    *


    Matriarch Zara gasped awake, snatched from her pleasant dream, and thrust back into pain and hollowness. Her stomach growled and her limbs dropped back down after her moment of shock. She snatched her pounding head with trembling hands, and blinked Urk¡¯s concerned expression into view.


    Their hand pushed her back down when she tried to rise again, Urk pushed harder, with strength that surprised her. She watched Urk¡¯s already bulbous eyes widen, before their hands lifted from her.


    I don¡¯t remember that much strength.


    ¡°How long?¡± It was all she could manage. Her vision was still blurry, and only Urk seemed clear.


    ¡°Almost four¡­ days, three nights¡­ grandmother,¡± Urk stepped back and looked healthy, a little taller somehow, their hair loose atop their head and jaw freshly shaved. ¡°I make soup with rabbits¡­ found boar¡­ yesterday. Will hunt when dark.¡±


    A beautiful sunrise stretched its warm, fiery fingers through the windows, lifting her spirits somewhat. She was a shell; her clothes wore her and all her plump was gone. Urk returned with a steaming bowl of sweet-smelling soup, with her wand free from her staff and a wooden spoon.


    Zara mumbled her thanks but caught the hard expression on Urk¡¯s face. Their eyes darted along her face, then a flash of confusion sparked on them. They lingered for a moment before turning away.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong baby?¡± She wheezed.


    Urk nibbled their lip, shifting on their feet with restless fingers.


    ¡°Did something happen while I was asleep?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Urk rushed.


    It seemed a lie to her, but she didn¡¯t wish to press. Fatigue kept her incurious mostly, but she was too hungry to worry.


    ¡°You speak in¡­ dreams.¡±


    ¡°Happens during the,¡±


    ¡°Who is Uren?¡±


    Zara froze.

 3:WOODS WITCH

    Ice and silence filled the next few days. It was, it should have been a simple answer for a simple question. But the look Urk gave her after she confirmed Uren to be her son was far from what she expected. Urk knew, they had to have known, she told them when they first asked what they were to her.


    Was I honest?


    Her memory failed her, she couldn¡¯t recall her exact words. She imagined a snide reply, dismissing Urk with venom. Unable to shake the gut-wrenching pain on their face.


    There was nothing else to do but make their little cottage into a home worthy of them both. She spent the initial days recovering, then she began clearing the mess the Guardians made. At first the idea of moving struck her, but the longer she remained, the quicker it faded. The Guardians were buried deep, though their power still tickled the soles of her feet every time she stepped out of the cottage.


    The scar in the forest would remain for some time, but many of the felled trees possessed some life in them. It was easy to restore them to their former, towering glory. She wielder her wand alone, her dragon bone staff would only draw in more power than was necessary, which would risk their discovery from unsavoury types.


    Trees too far gone, shattered beneath the enormous bones of the Guardians were either turned into seeds and planted again, or turned into furniture for the cottage. She tilled the earth around their new home, which was surprisingly fertile, and fenced off its borders. By the end of the second week since crash landing, there was comfort to enjoy.


    At nightfall Urk returned with a second boar. Their hunt for the first had them return with a gash in their thigh and bruise, but now Urk wore the tusks of the first around their neck, with string made from its hair, dragging the fresh kill upon a litter of branches and leaves. Blood stained their umber flesh, none their own, and under torchlight she felt a trickle of fear as they approached.


    There¡¯s that strength again, interesting, She thought to herself.


    ¡°You cut hair?¡± Urk asked, now in the light, their chest rising and falling fast, though they did well to hide their fatigue.


    Zara ran her fingers along the patchy stubble atop her now bald head. She had exerted herself, and her grey strands fell out, lopping them all off was her only choice. In the mirror she seemed both younger and older now, some of her fullness returned, though more wrinkles weathered her face. Age spots dared to appear, but her darker skin hid them well still. It seemed years rushed onto her, though she felt the same, and her aching limbs were manageable now.


    ¡°A fresh start, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Urk grunted, then turned away and dragged the boar to the back around the cottage before she could get another word in. Any chatter from Urk was enough for now, their earlier silence ate at her heart. Her eyes focused on the path ahead, and the deep darkness Urk returned from. Another boar so soon, game was aplenty here, and if game was common, soon people would be common too. Urk made no mention of other faces, and she hoped it remained so.


    There was a final step towards making this place truly safe, one she avoided, despite accepting this place was now a home. It was her last, minuscule hope of moving again that kept her from doing it, but the risk was growing. Turning this place into a Grove, not a true Coven¡¯s Grove, but with all the protections and defences without sisters. The Guardians would have to be awakened for it, but at least the heart of the grove would be small, an altar they could hide beneath the cottage.


    She listened to Urk grunt as they carved the boar for all its worth behind the cottage. A fire crackled within it, waiting for the meat, while her hand waved for the Unseen absently. It wouldn¡¯t come, for it only existed within a Grove. Her knowledge remained there, her ingredients, spell books, diaries, the very power used to birth Urk and the other goblins, but also her past, the truth.


    A task for the morning, it wasn¡¯t a thought born from procrastination this time.


    Zara supped with Urk in their cottage under candlelight, and for once she enjoyed the silence. The food was beyond nourishing, it filled with spicy taste and warmed her as a strong wind made their cottage groan. A hearth fire crackled and bath water bubbled, her eyes were heavy and her body content. It soon became the best night¡¯s sleep in some time.


    Come morning, she kept her promise, and when she told Urk, the goblin lifted somewhat. Their eyes sparkled and a flash of their fangs warmed her. Zara wielded her staff again, then enchanted her shark bone and Urk¡¯s necklace, with four tusks now, too, before calling for the Guardians to protect their cottage.


    It emptied her stomach, and returned her to a fatigued state that was not unlike her first awakening since they crashed into the forest. Yet, she felt a subtle tingle of protection all around. The presence of the Guardians below was stronger, almost thumping the soles of her feet every time she stepped on the ground.


    Zara watched Urk disappear into the surrounding forest after it was done. She rose after recovering some of her strength, and returned to the cottage to ravish the leftovers from the night before. It put a stop the wooziness in her head, but made her eyes heavy. Her body stumbled its way to her bed while her mind was already falling asleep. By the time her head rested on the feather stuffed pillow, she was whisked away.


    *


    Pain, torturous and excruciating. Her body was set aflame, her flesh melted off her bones, the very same bones that were poked and prodded with scorching steel. She was flayed and whipped, her tears stung her open wounds, but they never flowed for long. Horses ripped her limbs apart, swords and knives sliced through her like a butcher working on livestock. Gunpowder was sparked to life after she was buried under it, and there was even strangulation. Nails digging through flesh and rough rope, wishing to loosen the ever-tightening constricting grip, to no avail.


    Then the screams filled her.


    Agonised pleading, a collection of screeches to accompany the endless and torturous pain. Death was on the brink, but never arriving, never allowing relief to the many lives she suffered.


    Zara floated in nothing, feeling everything. Worst of all she recognised each and every scream, every cry for mercy, even the rare curse of defiance. Olga, Lana, Yudra, Hellena, her mind haunted her, her ears suffered them relentlessly, and her heart was failing. There was no comfort for her here in this hell. It all caught up to her.


    ¡°Grandmother!¡±


    *


    Zara was yanked awake by Urk, weeping and sobbing uncontrollably even as the goblin stared down at her with utter fear.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± it was all she could manage.


    ¡°Man coming!¡±


    Urk carried her staff and presented it after stepping back, their chest rushing in panic. Eyes wide and arms insistent. She wiped herself dry and snatched the staff.


    Zara was chaos as she scrambled around the cottage, hoping to remove any hint that might indict her and have her strapped to a pyre. Every spell she attempted to cast fizzled as her heart ached, haunted by every death she bloodied her hands with. The grove was determined to remind her of what she sacrificed for freedom.


    Urk was rushing away to their room, scrambling as much as she did, but they didn¡¯t return.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Hiding.¡±


    ¡°No, we must portray normalcy, tilling soil, carving meat, come.¡±


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    ¡°But I am not¡­ normal.¡±


    ¡°To his eyes you will be,¡± she nodded at the boar tusk necklace she enchanted. Then regret filled her, Urk¡¯s face twitched and she caught a hint of disdain, before they nodded and rushed outside with her.


    Urk tanned the leather of the last boar they found and she prepared more soil for planting, while listening to the stranger grunt his way towards their little cottage. She heard him remark, under his breath, about the strange formality of the low fence ringing around their borders. So far there was nothing to be concerned about.


    ¡°Ho!¡± The man announced.


    Zara spun around with a put-on expression of surprise, though Urk was awfully tight when doing the same.


    ¡°Forgive me, I was tracking a few wild hares and followed a new trail to this,¡± a pockmarked man, with sun taut umber skin, smiled with wandering eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve never been this deep into the forest, didn¡¯t think anyone called this place home.¡±


    ¡°The quiet has always been a comfort, what better place than this?¡± Zara smiled, eyeing his cloak of bark and leaves. A hunting bow was hanging from his shoulder, a full quiver on the other.


    She leant her staff against the wall and wiped her sweat hands on the front of her apron before stepping closer to the stranger, whose eyes were now fixed on Urk.


    ¡°Your son?¡±


    Zara glanced back at Urk, who returned to tanning the leather.


    ¡°What can we help you with?¡±


    ¡°Ah, forgive me, nothing, I¡¯ve allowed my curiosity too much, I shan¡¯t impose any longer.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble really, I welcome guests, it gladdens me to know there are others close by,¡± she smiled. ¡°Perhaps we might trade, should you require anything?¡±


    ¡°We might,¡± he nodded then turned and jogged away.


    Zara watched him depart, unmoving until she felt him cross the grove¡¯s borders.


    ¡°I follow, yes?¡± Urk appeared beside her, staring where she did.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be seen, and keep your necklace on.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Matriarch,¡± Urk grumbled before sprinting off in the hunter¡¯s wake.


    Matriarch, that stung her, and soon the haunting death cries returned to her.


    It was an agonising wait, and relief only struck her once she felt Urk¡¯s return. Darkness had fallen and another boar was dragged behind them in a new litter. Root¡¯s End, Urk said, with the same coldness that stung her when they called her Matriarch. Another pair of boar tusks were added to their necklace, as they described the small town they learned of. Of stone and wood, with clay stone roads, few guards and a river running through it.


    She poked for anything that would resemble a temple, but Urk saw nothing to match what she described. Another relief, which meant willing visitors would soon follow in the hunter¡¯s trail.


    Zara delved into the Unseen to retrieve her ingredients and began planting seeds during the following days. Urk took to teaching themselves with the numerous tomes and books she kept within as well, when they weren¡¯t hunting and adding to their tusk necklace.


    Days became weeks, and she almost forgot about Root¡¯s End, until a woman with a coughing little girl arrived. Hollow eyed and fearful, begging for a cure. Thankfully it was a simple fix, ground mellow seeds with a dash of peppercorns in boiled wine. A common chill took her daughter, deadly when it needn¡¯t be. Thankfully the mother didn¡¯t think to question where the wine came from.


    Urk became a recluse while she tended to more of the townsfolk, who were coming almost daily since the first woman and her coughing daughter. Rarely did they come to help, and when they did, it was always with a grumble. The townsfolk paid little mind to Urk; the friendlier types attempted to spark conversation with them. Her ¡®son¡¯, but they all soon learned Urk wasn¡¯t open to it.


    A pen and a makeshift barn had been added to their little cottage when a few of the townsfolk offered livestock as payment. Sheep and goats, chickens and a pair of cows, more work, but now she had a natural source for some ingredients, which was always a plus despite the added workload. There was only so much magically made ingredients could achieve before their effects wore off. Thankfully, her gardens were bustling with blooming plants, a bountiful variety that could be sold by the bushel if any of the townsfolk possessed the coin. Many did, though she had little use for it at the moment.


    Zara lounged beside the hearth in a cushioned chair with a pipe in her mouth and a book of her inventory in hand. A beautiful sunset coloured the interior of the cottage with wondrous fire, while the chill of night made an early introduction.


    ¡°What am I to you?¡±


    She jumped and looked up at Urk standing before her. Their tusk necklace completed, all around their neck. It was still a surprising thing to hear their fluent speech despite it having happened weeks ago.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Me, my existence, is it just to serve you?¡±


    Urk¡¯s coldness hadn¡¯t ceased, though they had softened towards the townsfolk, and they spoke more often to her, but this was unexpected.


    ¡°Urk, my love, what¡¯s wrong,¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Urk slammed the massive tome they carried on the table. Hairline cracks sprouted on all its legs. ¡°It was one thing to suffer the deaths of my brethren and your sisters all over again when the Grove was made. I shared in your guilt, but to now discover that I was made, and stifled, all to serve you, I have had enough!¡±


    ¡°Urk, what are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I know how you made me, how we were made, I¡¯m privy to a few of your own feelings! Do not play the fool with me, why did you hold me back?¡±


    ¡°I did no such thing! You¡¯re mine, of my flesh and bone and blood, I would never do that to you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not yours!¡±


    Why is this happening now? Zara was fighting back tears. She didn¡¯t know where the accusation came from, and didn¡¯t like how familiar this confrontation was.


    ¡°I had no say in abandoning my brethren, in letting your sisters die, I have no say in anything, I had no say in being born!¡±


    ¡°Urk please, I don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t do this,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m meant to be your son, that¡¯s what that man said, that¡¯s all I am? A malformed thing to fill the void of your loss. Whether your stifling was intentional or not I don¡¯t care, I will have you explain why you did this.¡±


    She wept, searching for the words on her feet. Her pipe clattered to the floor with her book. Echoes of agony returned to her mind, the pain, the screams.


    ¡°Uren¡­ Urk, you are not my son, I swear. You were the grandchild who was¡­ we all had our reasons for the Last Sacrament, I just wanted¡­ all of us had lost family, I thought I could give us all comfort,¡±


    Urk scoffed, fighting back their own tears, for their enormous eyes glistened.


    ¡°I knew something was done to me the moment we left that place, my strength improved, my mind opened. Perhaps you didn¡¯t mean for it, perhaps you didn¡¯t truly understand what you created. Your hold on me has ended, that¡¯s what matters now.¡±


    ¡°Uren please,¡± Zara edged closer, but Urk stepped back, face twisted in disgust. ¡°Please not again. I didn¡¯t¡­ I need you!¡±


    ¡°Look upon me and see what monstrosity your need created, a goblin,¡± Urk spat. ¡°What about what I need?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll fix it, please just stay, I¡¯ll fix it please.¡±


    ¡°So much death, I still hear them all, and for what?¡± Urk avoided her last attempt to reach out, almost slapping her hand away. ¡°You are a witch through and through.¡±


    ¡°Urk please!¡±


    The death cries were loud now, planting her on her knees as she watched Urk gather their things and stomp out of the cottage. She couldn¡¯t move, her body ached, her mind was relentlessly bombarded with death and screams and pain. There was even distant laughter, mocking, like a knife slicing her heart without care.


    Zara was alone again.

 4:THE PAST

    ¡°Fifteen bronze pieces?¡±


    ¡°Two silvers then? This is fine cotton Madame Zara, imported from the,¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less about where it is imported from,¡± Zara snorted, but caressed the blanket against her cheek. It was perfect, but pricey. ¡°It is wondrous to touch.¡±


    ¡°Two silvers then?¡±


    ¡°One silver, and five bronze pieces?¡±


    The merchant Kuril rubbed his chin as if he wasn¡¯t making way too much money for it already.


    ¡°That is agreeable.¡±


    She paid the merchant and marched away from the market square, arms overflowing with all she acquired. Most were gifts for Uren¡¯s pregnant woman, Ilene, who had grown on her admittedly, and grown herself. Ilene swelled beautifully, not just her belly, but her limbs as well. Doting on her daughter by law was something she never imagined she would enjoy, but she did, what a sweet fair-haired girl she was.


    Zara waved and smiled at the few greeters as she rushed on the muddy cobblestone road towards her home. It was a lavish area of Linken, thanks to her work beyond its borders, and allowed for some privacy that was denied when she lived with little Uren in a cramped apartment in a destitute corner of town.


    A gaudy carriage sat in wait a little way down from the gated entrance to her home. Apparently, royalty was visiting someone in the street. She clicked open the iron gate and jumped when a tender voice called out from the carriage.


    ¡°Mother!¡±


    Zara almost dropped everything, then she spun around to see Ilene poking her plump face through the carriage¡¯s curtain, beaming.


    ¡°Mother Zara, over here!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this child?¡± Zara smirked at her.


    ¡°Uren¡¯s surprise, hurry and pack, he says time is against us.¡±


    Now what else has this boy spent my money on? She smiled and nodded before hurrying in.


    She rushed past the lush garden and stepped on every stone path leading to the still open front doors. Zara entered to a strange sight in the living room. Chests littered the vast space, some shut and locked, others open and waiting to be filled. There were a pair of gruff voices she didn¡¯t recognise, and a third ordering them around which she did.


    Zara dumped all the bought gifts and frowned at the mess. A pair of burly but well-dressed men entered the vast lounge with a chest each, adding to the four already waiting.


    ¡°Hello,¡± she greeted sheepishly.


    ¡°Madam,¡± the handsome one with greying stubble nodded at her while the other almost dropped his chest while bowing.


    ¡°Really there was no need for this help, I could have done this all by¡­¡± Uren followed them soon after, then his eyes widened at the sight of her.


    He placed down the thick blanket in his arms and took a moment to compose himself. She didn¡¯t like that, her stomach twisted.


    ¡°Gentlemen, would you please give us a moment, you can take the closed chests so long,¡± Uren smiled and kept the smile until the doors were shut behind them.


    ¡°Are we going somewhere?¡±


    ¡°We are,¡± his reply struck her like ice.


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    Uren¡¯s jaw tightened as he turned away. He scratched the dark, organised stubble atop his head and ruffled through the gifts she bought as if they were soiled rags snatched from a beggar.


    ¡°Perhaps you can wait a little longer for me to,¡±


    ¡°Without you!¡±


    A hammer blow to her heart, but it was his disgust that drove the knife deep. His eyes glistened and her throat tightened. There was only one reason for him to behave like this, but she couldn¡¯t stop herself from panicking.


    ¡°Uren wait, please let me,¡±


    ¡°No!¡± He hissed. Uren spun around and his shoulders dropped for a moment, before he faced her again, rage burning from his eyes.


    ¡°I should have known; I should have been smarter. The seemingly endless influx of wealth, your eagerness to throw coin without complaint, this damn home!¡±


    ¡°Uren,¡±


    ¡°Stay back!¡± He might as well have slapped her. ¡°You will never be allowed near any of us again. Who knows what devilry you had planned for my child.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what,¡±


    ¡°No more from you, I have had enough of your manipulations!¡±


    ¡°Uren, what is this? Will you not allow me to speak?¡±


    ¡°What spells will you cast on me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you believe? Who has tricked you to believe such slanders?¡±


    Uren dug into his coat pocket and tossed a notebook at her feet, a familiar notebook.


    ¡°Tell me, how were you going to lie out of this?¡±


    ¡°Ingredients, alchemy, that is witchcraft to you?¡±


    ¡°The fact that you had to do this in secret damns you enough!¡±


    ¡°Uren, I didn¡¯t raise you in ignorance, please do not fall for the foolishness of these people.¡±


    ¡°Ilene is one of these people!¡± Uren almost roared, it was the loudest hiss she had heard. ¡°You¡¯ve never liked her, never respected her, don¡¯t speak to me about ignorance.¡±


    A mention of Ilene was no coincidence, it almost lifted her. He didn¡¯t find her alchemy damning alone. Perhaps there was a path to salvage this, though hope seemed a dangerous thing to cling to the longer she faced Uren¡¯s pain.


    ¡°Uren, you do not need to leave like this. Move out, find a home for your family, I will help,¡± she grimaced when his face twitched and stilled her tongue.


    ¡°In the name of what I believed to be your love, as your blood, I will not expose you, if you stay away. You will not send us all to the pyre with you.¡±


    She watched Uren lift a chest after sniffing. He wiped his cheek with a sleeve and made the first steps towards the entrance.


    ¡°My boy, please,¡± her own tears warmed her cheeks now. ¡°We can¡­ there is still time to sort this out, we¡­ please don¡¯t do this.¡±


    He ignored her, but he was slow, almost reluctant to leave. Every step he took thudded loudly on the varnished wood floor. It hurt, a pain she never thought she would feel again. There was a phantom stink, a rotting corpse almost, filling her nose as she watched Uren with weeping eyes.


    ¡°Did you follow me?¡± She asked and Uren paused.


    ¡°Lisbet¡¯s little one, the story spread from there.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen the good I can do with my knowledge, it¡¯s not witchcraft, only ignorance motivates your fears now. My mistake, I can teach you now, and you might protect your own family.¡±


    Uren didn¡¯t turn to face her, but he lingered before the door for an eternity, clutching the chest with his shoulders low. He was hunched, almost torn, or so she hoped.


    ¡°Stay away.¡±


    Uren kicked the door and he was gone. Gone forever, leaving her behind in only gloom and misery. Her house faded with him, the cleanliness failed, and dust coated every space she didn¡¯t brood in. There was only darkness now, tears and grief.


    Zara woke up and found the cottage to be very much the same.

 5:HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

    Matriarch Zara, of the Solitude Grove, was productive during the first weeks after Urk¡¯s departure. She met the numerous townsfolk with a smile on her face, though often forced. They were kindly, curious and on the brink of delving too deep with her, but it was manageable. It was refreshing to meet with the less fearful sort, clearly the Guardians had picked the perfect place.


    All of it became hard work of course, but it ensured her mind would be focused on anything other than Urk. Yet, idle hands brought pain, and pain reminded her of the goblin, and the last thing she needed was to be with her thoughts. Her dreams haunted her enough, if her waking existence poked her heart as well, she didn¡¯t think she could take it.


    There were a few repeat visitors who asked after Urk. Zara could only manage a flimsy excuse, the same one every time, they were away. Soon they learned not to ask at all, for her face soured and their fear grew.


    Work soon became impossible on her own. Keeping up with the needs of the people and maintaining the barn, animal pen, and garden. First the large beasts fell to a strange sickness that she hadn¡¯t the time to investigate. Then the pen broke and her garden was ravaged by rest. Their deaths ranged from bloody and messy, to explosive. The few townsfolk who continued to make the journey to her cottage, despite the slow deterioration, were finally put off.


    Failure upon failure, her need to stay busy twisted so swiftly into neglect, she shut down entirely. Debilitated by the return of Urk, their departing words worsened tenfold.


    The stink of death and decay never left her, from the dead livestock she abandoned, to the rotting wood and soiled plants of her garden. There was something more, something else that overpowered them all that she couldn¡¯t place, not that Zara cared to, for now she resigned herself to her fate of laying in her now soiled bed.


    Occasionally the unseen barrier of the grove rippled, repelling curious critters from entering, let alone strangers. It stirred her at times, but her heart refused to pump anything but blood and pain. Aching worse than her joints after a hard day¡¯s work, not that her body suffered such in recent weeks. She wallowed in her own stink, and the stench that refused to leave her, even in her dreams.


    The foundation of her cottage rumbled too, as if the Guardians themselves attempted to rouse her. Her eyes opened and closed, but she didn¡¯t awaken. Time flew by, day and night blended in her mind, and finally she was forced out of bed. As emaciated as her landing here, and soiled by her own body as well.


    Zara dragged her feet along the rotten wooden floor, grinding dust and stale rushes beneath her dry soles. Her eyes struggled to adjust to the cottage, it was neither dark nor bright. The world swirled the longer she stood. She snatched at whatever furniture remained to support herself, barely grimacing at the splinters finding a new home in her cracked palms.


    Her stomach grumbled and snatched at the first thing her fingers wrapped around on the table. The tainted stench worsened as she gagged after bitter and sour juices stung her shredded lips. Whatever it was churned her stomach, but despite the rot, she felt herself awaken further. Zara didn¡¯t reach again, for she still gagged, but the darkness of night became familiar to her. It was cool, with a breeze that made the stink relentless.


    ¡°Finally.¡±


    A voice spoke, as if whispering into her ear from behind. Zara spun around to no one, nothing but night¡¯s darkness and the open front door of her cottage. She felt a presence, however, malignant and powerful. There was a silhouette growing, approaching at a snail¡¯s pace towards the cottage.


    Zara delved into the Unseen for her wand, which drew haunting chuckles from the stranger. Her hand passed through nothing, clutching nothing. She cursed, feeling nothing, not even the barrier of the Grove, not the Guardians beneath her feet.


    The stink deepened, the silhouette was the source, she was sure of it, yet she was frozen in place. By fear, or its power, she couldn¡¯t tell. She hadn¡¯t been aware like this in an age, and she didn¡¯t appreciate it.


    ¡°Oh, to see justice first hand,¡± the stranger laughed, unnatural and hollow, joyful death rattle. ¡°To see you laid low like this, beyond my wildest dream.¡±


    She recognised the voice, which continued to be whispered into her ears despite the silhouette¡¯s distance. It iced her to her core.


    ¡°Bellona,¡± Zara managed at a whisper.


    The silhouette became a half rotten corpse at her open doorway. She was more soil and sickly grey flesh, riddled with scars than what was once fair skin.


    Her laughter sank her stomach again, while Zara studied the proof of the torture her body suffered. Sparkling diamonds filled many of the gaps, like sinew, even pockets of missing flesh were replaced by it. Bellona was clearly reanimated in some form, but nothing she had ever seen before. Half dead, doubly menacing, especially with her silver sparkling eyes, riddled with blood and rot.


    ¡°I must admit, watching you deteriorate stilled my hand. I almost turned away as you stewed in your own filth,¡± her voice both filled her mind and crept out of her ruined throat, guttural and harsh, sounding like the blades used to torture her.


    ¡°But no, I needed my revenge. My own hands would rend and tear your flesh, and I would savour your screams. A shame I couldn¡¯t break your brat in front of you, regardless, that thing will find you ruined, I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    Zara reached for the Unseen a few times to no avail, fighting back tears as she remained frozen before her former sister.


    ¡°The Guardians know of your treachery, you betrayed your sisters, the powers of the Grove are lost to you,¡± Bellona hacked and snorted, then something black oozed from her open throat. ¡°My suspicion of you never went away, it deepened when you were chosen for Matriarch over me, and you spawned those little beasts. Once more, I was right.¡±


    ¡°Jealousy, that¡¯s the reason for all of this?¡± Zara managed a smirk, despite her knees trembling.


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Bellona roared, cracking the foundations of her cottage with her rage. ¡°Don¡¯t play high and mighty with me. We were nothing more than a means to an end for you, and you still failed. Those young whores confirmed your betrayal, and now I¡¯m here for judgement!¡±


    Bellona flicked her wrist and her gnarled right hand clutched a stygian dragon bone stuff. Zara instinctually reached for her wand again in the Unseen, but held nothing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± Bellona glowed with a diamond aura, though she oozed more blackness from her rancid and ruined flesh. ¡°You will suffer the judgement of all the sisters you betrayed.¡±


    Zara braced when Bellona raised her rotten hand towards her, but there was no resisting the gasp that escaped her lips when the pain struck her. Thankfully, she wasn¡¯t awake for much of it.


    *


    It was a sunny afternoon, with barely any mud squelching beneath her determined boots. A rarity in these parts, Linken was always a gloomy sight all year round. Funny, when her mind filled with darkness and saw only gloom, the sun arrived. Everything was working against her, even the weather, but this heartsbane root was the final ingredient. Everyone would pay.


    Zara kept her head down and hood up as she strangled the wrapped root in her arms, stomping passed any and all who dared to bar her way. Their complaints faded fast when she barged into shoulders. She planned worse for the whole lot of Linken; their mockery would be at an end.


    They sent her gifts at first, a few of them, even Lisbet had the decency to show her face a few times. Zara didn¡¯t tell anyone about Uren¡¯s departure, but apparently everyone could tell, despite her attempts to appear normal. Their true nature came through eventually, it was all for gossip. Bastards the lot of them, it wasn¡¯t long until she heard their judgements in the street.


    After all she had done for these ungrateful wretches, they laughed about her troubles, spoke about her being alone. They laughed about her deteriorating appearance, mocked about the stench from her home. What did they know other than adding to her pain?


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    Worse, she suffered strange whispers during her return journey. They called her grandmother, constant and never-ending, like a breeze that refused to cease nipping at her ears. No amount of shaking her head made them stop. Each mention felt like a knife to her back, reminding her of the grandchild she would be denied.


    Grandmother, grandmother, grandmother, it echoed with her boots, growing louder even as the bustling market of Linken faded behind her. She kept her head down and hood up despite that, even as her surroundings became more serene. The roads were cobbled and decorated with fallen petals that were already brown where she walked.


    Zara¡¯s hands were dented by the roots by the time she arrived at her home. She kicked aside the few packages and mocking plants littering the steps before her gate, which screeched awfully when she opened and closed it behind her. Death swarmed her garden, and weeds took root with glee, but her eyes were fixed on her doors.


    There was an ever present, fetid stink following her the entire day. Initially, she assumed it was the stink of the town, and the marketplace, but even here in her dusty home it worsened. The whispers of ¡®grandmother¡¯ echoed against the walls while she left a trail on her dusty floor towards the room where the ritual awaited.


    Hoof of a goat, tail of a sheep, a tuft of hair by the supplicant, all in a silver bowl of bubbling oil over an open fire. She recited the steps even as she knelt before the bowl, which only held the cold oil. The Last Sacrament was known to her, ever since she was found, bleeding and on the brink of death. Then Uren came along and all she felt was love, forgetting the vengeance in her heart. Now she was alone again, with the pain that reminded her of that abuse.


    Zara grimaced at the ever-present rotting stink and sparked the fire again. She placed the silver bowl on the stand above it and waited for the oil to bubble. Whispers of ¡®grandmother¡¯ continued, but she was too focused to care.


    The bowl spat after some time and she knelt before it, pulling out a knife from her side. The goat¡¯s hoof went in first, then the sheep¡¯s tail. She tied off her knotted curls and sliced with her knife, before tossing it in as well. Next came the heartsbane root, and the bowl sizzled. Her hand trembled afterwards, for the incantation was next, then the final payment.


    ¡°Grandmother!¡±


    Zara shut her teary eyes and hovered her wrist and knife over the bowl, fighting for courage.


    ¡°Oh Ol¡¯Mother, hear my pleas, take heed of my sacrifice and grant me the power I desire.¡±


    Zara cut deep, stifling her scream, and let her blood flow into the bowl.


    ¡°Hear me Ol¡¯Mother, accept my sacrifice and fill me with your power. End my grief, end my suffering, grant me power. I am yours.¡±


    The bowl burst with fire of many colours, from red, to orange, to pink then blue and green. It calmed with yellow, and when they licked the wound she made, her skin closed and healed as if she never harmed herself.


    Relief filled her, then the fetid stink overpowered her.


    ¡°So that was how you did it?¡± A bodiless voice laughed, joyous and unnatural, worsening the stench. ¡°Pathetic.¡±


    Zara made to speak, but another presence beckoned her, and she felt the stink waver.


    ¡°Grandmother, I¡¯m coming!¡±


    *


    Zara awoke to excruciating pain, bound and gagged in the shape of an X. Her screams were muffled by a soiled gag splitting her ruined lips. She stank, amongst the fetid reeking scent that Bellona left behind. Once the pain of her raw wrists and ankles, and all of her plucked nails faded slightly, her eyes cleared after many blinks to reveal a dank dungeon. One she didn¡¯t recognise.


    Rock and rough stone, amongst plenty of soil. Her neck ached when she turned to the heart of the Grove on her left. A simple stone stand, but she didn¡¯t see any bones in the darkness.


    ¡°Come out!¡± Bellona¡¯s undead voice boomed. ¡°I feel your monstrous presence.¡±


    Zara moaned when she jumped, spiking her pain and bringing out fresh tears to sting her lips.


    There was a loud boom above, and crumbling stone and wood followed.


    ¡°Enough games, rat!¡±


    Zara¡¯s head throbbed as even the dungeon rumbled after more booms and cracks sounded above. There was nothing to do but wait. Her pain was constant and debilitating, even attempting to focus on the disruptions above threatened to worsen it.


    ¡°Grandmother,¡± she almost wept when the voice came to her. Her heart almost gave out when the speaker emerged from the Unseen. ¡°I said I would come.¡±


    Urk shaved their head, and their jaw was darkened by an organised beard. There was a hardness on them, their bulbous yellow eyes seemed smaller, weary. Their armour was near pristine, glimmering silver to her eyes, but she noticed the tusk necklace around their neck still.


    They drew a knife and cut her free from her bonds, but when her hands and knees met the ground she yelped and rolled on her side, throbbing and aching. Her legs refused to work, but thankfully Bellona¡¯s sudden arrival distracted her from her pain.


    ¡°Begone rat!¡±


    An enormous orb of diamonds burst from the stygian dragon bone staff in her hand towards Urk, but in a blink they were gone and reappeared behind her. Zara noticed their permanent grimace; the stench was truly awful from Bellona. Her knees almost buckled when Urk sliced with a knife. She sizzled and roared with unholy rage, but was too slow to retaliate.


    This time Urk dropped her to her knees and stood over her.


    ¡°This Grove rejects you, unholy spawn,¡± Urk grumbled. ¡°The Guardians abandon you for your treachery.¡±


    ¡°Treachery? There is the treacherous one!¡± Bellona screeched like a banshee, pointing at Zara. ¡°Do you know what she did to you, how she created you?¡±


    ¡°And she has suffered for it, but you have cheated death and broken all laws. I am judgement for the Grove, and speak with the Guardian¡¯s voice. You have profaned the gifts granted, and now the toll must be paid. In the name of Ol¡¯Mother, you are returned to her embrace!¡±


    Bellona scrambled, speaking anything and everything, for the first time sounding fully alive. Urk snatched the dragon bone staff with a flick of their wrist and directed their own orb of diamond brilliance at her. It sizzled and burned her, making a fire of silver and diamonds. She screamed as she burned, until charred bones and ash remained.


    Zara wept, relief, joy, it was all the same, even as Urk stood over her still clutching the staff while she grovelled on the ground. She didn¡¯t care that there was little in their eyes but pity, nor did she care about their silence. It was over.


    ¡°I take it you understand you have been punished as well?¡± Urk asked.


    ¡°You came back,¡± she managed between sobs.


    ¡°I was right to say you didn¡¯t understand what you did when you created me. The Grove stripped you of your power, and gave it all to me. I am the Grove, and the Guardians are no more.¡±


    Beyond my wildest dreams, you deserved so much more, Zara wept to herself while Urk spoke. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was for Uren or Urk.


    ¡°Perhaps it was love that pulled me back, or something else, but I will say this, I did not want to be like you.¡±


    Urk knelt down before her, placing the staff down. There were aged scars on Urk, handsome, pale marks, but menacing.


    ¡°I have the power to restore you, I believe, but you will atone. Not for the Grove, but for me, consider it an apology. I know my siblings live, wherever they are, you will help me. Unfortunately, what I¡¯ve seen of the world has not taken kindly to me, you will aid in softening such attitudes.¡±


    ¡°Anything, everything you need, I will do it, my love,¡± Zara sniffed. Urk flinched, but didn¡¯t recoil.


    ¡°It is a tall order, and by the end I might be in your debt. Perhaps I might help you as well, seeing this Uren has interested me for some time,¡± Urk offered a hand with a small smile, baring a fang.


    Zara took it, trembling, lips quivering, heart in her throat.


    ¡°You are enough for me.¡±


    There was a flicker of something in Urk¡¯s eye, and the smile remained.


    ¡°I forgive you, Grandmother.¡±