《Crystal Heart》


 Chapter 1 - Brown flames

    ¡°I see you,¡±


    I whispered as my hand slowly reached forward to the child, the child that held my possession in its arms. It had squeezed itself in between the space of two buildings. Unfortunately for it, this space was a dead end and he was just within my reach if I strained myself enough. I could see his globe like eyes watching me in horror and fear. He should fear greatly if he doesn''t give me what is mine quite soon. I stretched my arm as far as I could, but I only came to slightly touch the cloth on his arm. I cursed. Then I heard a voice behind me.


    "Baba, I got a pitchfork."


    "Now what am I to do with a pitchfork, blockhead? Stab him to death?! Find me something with a hook! Or better yet, go find the dwarf and get him here." I stood strait looking down the space in between.


    "I will get you, child. Pray it will be sooner than later." I could see his tears. I laughed quietly and held his eyes with mine.


    "Baba, I got the dwarf." I turned around the see the blockhead for brute carrying the dwarf over his shoulder.


    "Put him down! And you my small grown friend," I grabbed the dwarfs arm on his way down to the ground.


    "Go and get what is mine. Preferably yesterday." The dwarf did nothing more than slightly look at me once and then he hurried to the doomed child. I grew giddy; I could already feel myself holding it.


    "Hurry, hurry," I whispered to none other than myself. While I grew restless the dwarf was in full fight to drag the child into the light. It didn''t take long until the child was thrown before my feet. But the child''s arms were empty.


    "My treasure," I turned towards the dwarf that silently held up a transparent orb towards me. I grabbed it, fast but firmly. I would die if it broke after all the blood and filth I had to walk through to get it.


    "Baba, wha-"


    "Shut up, numb head! I have it. I have it!" I held the transparent orb with both my hands. I could see my hands through it, and the ground beyond them. I felt a slight throb in my head.


    "You''re dismissed," I said. The dwarf disappeared. I sighed when I saw the brute scratch his head.


    "Yes?"


    "Baba, what of the kid? And we killed villagers, what do now?" He stomped with his feet before he sat down causing a small quake. I looked at the wonder in my hand for a good 5 minutes before I cared to answer.


    "Hang it with the others, give him the best spot available."


    "Baba, yes!" The brute grabbed the child and stormed off. The child must have been a mute; I never heard it cry even once. I stroke the orb with my fingers, wondering if it was glass or crystal. I lifted it up towards my eyes, and it looked like it was a hollow space in the middle. I was ecstatic, but I locked it inside. There is a time and place for everything. I pulled up a cloth from my shoulder bag, wrapped up the orb and down the bag it went. To comfort my paranoia I had created a pickpocket-proof bag.


    I turned towards the village I had previously ignored. Most buildings were burning, carrying smoke and ash everywhere. Those corpses not in a pile burning, hanged from the trees outspread all around. My crew either plundered what could be plundered or helped hang those not already hanging. A hagraven noticed I was no longer preoccupied with my own business. She shuffled closer, her back crooked and head lowered.


    "Our comrades are being buried in the woods outside the village. The ground inside is no good." I nodded.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    "Good, good. When the burial is finished and the ritual done, we will return home." To my answer the hagraven shook her crocked frame and wandered off to the burial, I assumed. I watch my surroundings for some time more before I lifted up from the ground one of her ink black feathers that had come loose. I held it close to my mouth and whispered secrets, and then I lit it aflame. The feather fed brown harmless flames. I carried it to the closest house and gently put it into the burning fire. The sound of the crackling fire dampened and the color turned from red to brown. The hot air cooled and the smoke cleared. Several of my crew noticed the changing fire and our newest members barked in alarm while those who had seen such a act before wrapped up their business and told the others to shut up. When the brown fire reached all over the former village my whole crew was ready to leave. I looked over everyone. None of us were clean and our armor was well-worn. My little band of misfits.


    "Have our comrades been burried?" I asked nobody in particular.


    "They have, Baba." Their voices were so synchronized it sounded like a choir. I nodded.


    "Are everyone accounted for?"


    "We are, Baba." I nodded again while sweeping my eyes over everyone counting them, just to be on the safe side. My next words made everyone shout with joy.


    "This time... Our road leads home!"


    After their outburst we took our bags and drifted into the forest. Nobody in particular was in the lead; we all knew where home was. We had traveled on many different roads together; those in front knew how fast they could walk without leaving the rest behind, and those in the back knew how slow they could walk before becoming a burden. I always walked in the middle when I did not show the way; I preferred to have equal watch over the front and back. Our walk out of the forest was merry and undisturbed. We made a lot of noise so nobody bothered to hunt the wildlife. During the whole day we walk out of there I listened to my crew talking among themselves. Most spoke of home and what they would do when they get there, others spoke of past roads and plunder, or spun tales everyone knew weren¡¯t true but we enjoyed them for what they were, stories. Some simply talked about tonight¡¯s dinner. It was a good day and when we camped for the night at the edge of the woods, all were content.


    <hr>


    Earlier that day when we were still in the act of ransacking the village, three people were looking over us from some place higher up and away. They were dressed in a way that made them invisible in the environment to untrained eyes. All three of them had each a spying glass to their eyes, and all three felt different about our presence in the village. One of the three complained in a whispering voice:


    ¡°¡¯This will be an easy scouting mission,¡¯ he said. ¡®You wanted a break, here you have one,¡¯ he said. ¡®All you have to do is to follow and watch. Nothing more or less,¡¯ he said!¡± The one shifted slightly where he stood.


    ¡°But hey, boss! You forgot to mention that we would actually find the disturbance and that they are in the middle of burning down a forest village! Not to mention I can even see some¡­ by all holy spirits above! A goddamn hagraven!¡± He almost dropped his spyglass.


    ¡°Be quiet, or do you want them to notice you?¡± This voice was much younger than the previous, and much quieter. ¡°That¡¯s not only one hagraven, I¡¯ve seen two at most at the same time, I¡¯m guessing there are three. However, I do not see a lot of witches. Three hagravens together should have a huge amount of followers.¡±


    ¡°Unless it is the hagravens¡¯ that are following.¡± The first shivered at his own words, the younger gasped. Hagravens were cruel in nature and did not submit easily, even then they would refuse given orders and turn violent. To have three follow us in peace was extraordinary in their eyes.


    ¡°Hawk, your expertise, please.¡± The first addressed the third that had yet to speak. The third sighed once as he slowly put away his spyglass.


    ¡°Five hagravens,¡± he grunted and laid down on the ground. ¡°We will stay put until they leave, then report to the captain.¡± The other two silently agreed but did not join the third as he rested but kept watching the dying village bellow. While their spyglasses were of quality, they were still too far away from the village to see all the details. They saw the hanging corpses, though. The first muttered curses under his breath while the second watched silently with a pained expression. None of them saw me as I was ordering my crew around, or chasing the child. Nor did they see my precious orb before I hid it in my bag. The first did see me pick up the feather from the ground when everything had calmed down. He did not see the actual feather. He did not see me whisper. He did see me walk towards a burning house. He did see the burning flames turn brown. And then he cursed loudly, alarming the other two.


    ¡°Brown flames,¡± he whispered, and before he had finished the third was on his feet again with his spyglass to the eye.


    ¡°Forget the captain, Hawk. The general will want to hear this.¡±


    ¡°Even more reason to lay low and not get caught. They don¡¯t look attentive to their surroundings but I would rather be in the land of the living than the realm of the dead.¡± Hawk did not grunt this time, his voice was aged but a smooth whisper. We left without knowing they were ever there.

 Chapter 2 - Coming home

    Next day we packed up early and left the edge as the sun rose in the sky. Nothing much happened the week it took for us to wander home. We avoided crowded roads and settlements when we could, foraged the forest for food, stopped half a day at a river to fish. Our numbers deterred most trouble, our looks and attitude deterred the rest. My hagravens hid under robes and cloaks, their kind were not really popular in most places. Our leisure stroll ended when we traveled into the mountain range.


    We stayed together and occasionally had two or three scout the road ahead. The mountains were our backyard but we shared it with less desirable inhabitants, such as bandits and the like. We traveled throughout the day and into the night. At early morning we reached our destination; a small lake with a waterfall. The tension we had held throughout the night loosened with the sight of the familiar space. One of my hagravens raised her voice, reminding people not to get too relaxed for we had not yet entered safe grounds. Grumbles and complaints could be heard among many, I was satisfied that none of those voices were our veteran brethren. Since her words were only half effective I reinforced her words with my own.


    ¡°Do you let your guard down when we¡¯re on the road? Our road doesn¡¯t end until we are inside.¡± We had to circle right around the lake to reach the waterfall. With the heightened guard, I ended up encircled. I silently remarked with my hand to those around me that I would walk up front, and quickened up my steps. With a better view of my surroundings I noted that there did not grow much on the makeshift road we walked on. I put to memory to have someone fix it later. While it was common knowledge that this mountain range was full of hidden bandit treats, we did not need to make it obvious where we lived. An old overgrown road threw most off-track, and those who saw past that could find us through other means. I smiled at the thought of our entrance; none had ever found their way inside. I smiled even more when I thought of what was behind the entrance; home.


    The waterfall itself wasn¡¯t impressive. It flowed from a cave mouth higher up the steep mountain side, far from our reach. To correct myself, far from others reach. I didn¡¯t pay attention to anything other than where I placed my feet and the cave above. If someone was to ambush us I wouldn¡¯t notice them until they were on top of us. Many of my comrades were far better suited to smell out danger than I would ever be. We were not far from the base of the fall; the pour of water grew louder by every step. The cave mouth was far off, yet I whispered to it like so many times before. I whispered of silent secrets, and I knew it could hear me. Who can resist the temptation of knowing the secrets?


    Right beside the waterfall, where forest, lake, rocks and fall met, we came to a halt. I plunged my hand into the fall and it accepted all the secrets. In front of our eyes, the immovable cave mouth moved. Rumbling it lowered itself to our level and moving sideways so it was no longer above the water. With the cave¡¯s desire for secrets satisfied, it no longer spilled water from its mouth, granting us easy access unto the heart of the mountain. My crew didn¡¯t need encouragement to enter, they leapt in. While most continued into the cave, some stayed a few steps inside waiting for me who had to enter last. After I entered and we walked inside, the cave rose to its original position, leaving no clue it had ever moved at all. The walk through the cave seemed endless for the short time we spent in there. Soon the darkness parted way for the dawn on the other side.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    We didn¡¯t call our village anything else than home. Located in a closed off mountain valley, with unclimbable mountains on both sides, houses built from one slope to the next with gardens, pathways, and various decorations. This was one of the most wonderful sights I have ever laid my eyes on. Not because of the beauty, but because of the nostalgia of returning home. I would never get tired of it. A few moments was all I got to enjoy before my crew asked for my attention. Most looked like they would keel over any minute, a hard day and night¡¯s walk does that.


    ¡°You know the drill. Spoils to the common house, now or after you have slept, makes no difference. Just make sure it gets in. Pay when the spoils are accounted for. Have a good day¡¯s sleep.¡± Everyone replied in their own way and walked off to their house and families. I grabbed my own bag and made sure my treasure bag was still closed and secure. Before I could walk off the hagraven from the village stopped me.


    ¡°Baba, if may I ask. What will you do with that orb? It will not be put into the spoils pile, no? Something like that has to be worth¡­¡± She left her sentence unfinished and waited for me to speak. I couldn¡¯t say I liked the question and while I could tell her to mind her own business, it would leave a bitter aftertaste for both of us.


    ¡°This orb is not worth anything more than the material it is made of. As Baba Yaga, I will take this from the spoils in advance and to substitute the difference, my share of the pay will be slightly less.¡± My tone wasn¡¯t the best, but neither was my mood. I would bet those hagravens could stay awake another two days before they needed any sleep. I waited for her to answer me. I was fully aware about my bad mood and my body¡¯s need for rest but I refused to let it out on the hagraven. It was not her fault, after all.


    ¡°Is that so, a pity. Then I suppose I must let it slide fo-¡°


    ¡°You will not let it slide, you will let it go. Go join your sisters, hagraven. ¡± She looked like I stepped on her face. When she did not move I mouthed the word ¡°go¡± and waved my hand at her. Reluctantly she turned away and walked off, glancing backwards now and then. I watched her ¡®til I could see her no more. Then I turned and walked the opposite direction up a path to the so-called mansion at the top. My crew liked to call it a mansion even if most of them owned bigger houses than me. I was the leader so I had to live in a mansion, a poor argument but if it pleases them so why not. The house had little more than a bedroom, a kitchen and a private study. I did not need more from my private house; the village business and outings was run from the big house. I unpacked my bag as quickly as I could, placing everything in its own place. However, I did not remove the orb from my treasure bag, but put it in a drawer in the bedroom. My mind desperately wanted to open it up and check so it truly was left in there while my body wanted no more than to sleep. I got out of my traveling clothes and armor I wore, and laid down in bed. I knew nothing more of that day.


    In the evening I was awakened by the acting chief, so I had to get up from bed. Luckily for me he brought me breakfast that I ate while we conversed about what had happened in the village when I was away. In turn I told him how our road had fared and the comrades we lost, and one lucky lad we recruited. Of course the vice leader of our outing had already told him this before he retired for the day. After a few hours of discussions, and me mentioning the road outside needing maintenance, we said goodbye. Next time I awoke was when the dawn shined through my window.

 Chapter 3 - Black heart

    Business was going well. Our return from the road brought some extra liveliness into the hearts of everyone. Even though they had yet to get their pay to spend, they still had their two days off before they were obligated to help around. This left most of them spending time in the tavern or common house. As for me, I was in our clinic at the edge of town, talking with our physician. He was a calm elderly man who knows his trade well and had seen most things before I invited him to our village. Today, however, he wasn¡¯t calm at all. It looked like he was having small spasms, sitting there in his chair.


    ¡°You want me to do what? To cut you open?! To take out your heart!¡±


    ¡°You heard exactly what I said: Cut me open, remove some of my ribs, however you are to do that, take out my heart, and place this orb¡± I stretched out my hand showing the orb to him, again. ¡°In the place where my heart would be. Then replace my ribs and stich me up again. Simple as that.¡± Under any other normal circumstances, I would agree with his reluctance. But this is not normal, and I needed it done. He brought one of his shaking hands up to his face.


    ¡°B-but, with no heart¡­ you will die.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Then let me die. It¡¯ll be fine. You just need to put it in there, and stich me up.¡±


    ¡°To have that orb¡­ the veins, the blood will have nowhere to go. What am I to with¡­ oh dear. I could not do this to you; the others would kill me when you die.¡±


    ¡°Do with the veins however you wish, and they don¡¯t need to know that I died, I¡¯ll be up and walking in no time. There is no need to think about it, just do.¡± I crossed my arms, while being careful not to drop the orb. ¡°Do it.¡± He looked at me for a long while, then he nodded.


    ¡°Great! Do you need to do any preparations or shall we get going?¡± I gently placed the orb on the bag on top of his desk.


    ¡°Let me talk the nurses, wouldn¡¯t want us to be disturbed during a surgery.¡± He mumbled something I wasn¡¯t interested in and walked out of the room. I took of my vest, my shirt and boots, and laid down on the table. I tried not to think what would happen if it didn¡¯t work, if I died I wouldn¡¯t be here to deal with the outcome anyway. I closed my eyes and concentrated on my breathing. After a while he came back and I heard how he locked the door. Then he went and made some noise with his tools.


    ¡°You sure you want to go through with this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Mr. Physician. I think I may be getting cold feet.¡± The sarcasm in my voice was completely lost to him.


    ¡°Then we should ab-,¡±


    ¡°Do it!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. Breathe this in.¡± He placed a damp cloth over my mouth and I took a deep breath, it smelled funny. It didn¡¯t take long for my world to go dark. I didn¡¯t know if I would ever wake up.


    When I woke up I was alone. My body was aching, no serious pain. Only a dull ache, like I had been chilled for too long. I tried to move my hands and feet, and other than being numb they worked fine. I pulled away the sheet the physician had placed over me. My chest looked fine if I ignored the stitched wound that ran down the middle. He opened me up and I was still alive, either he got cold feet or I was really alive. Then I saw the plate with the black hoop of flesh on his desk. He did it. As I pulled my shirt over my head the door opened.


    ¡°You are alive.¡± He whispered. He was silent for a while. ¡°Are you feeling alright?¡±


    ¡°Other than the general numbness in my body, I couldn¡¯t be better.¡± He silently closed the door and moved to sit down in his chair before he continued.


    ¡°Your heart was black you know.¡±


    ¡°Tell me something I don¡¯t know.¡± I did some stretching, trying to ease the numbness, ¡°Think positively, I can no longer die of heartache. No amount of men can break a heart that isn¡¯t there.¡± Mentally, I dry laughed at my own joke. I put on my vest.


    ¡°What to do with the heart?¡± He asked next, he didn¡¯t do much other than watch me. I turned to him.


    ¡°Give it to the priest. Say it¡¯s some sort of tumor that needs to be purified and gotten rid of safely.¡± He silently agreed, still watching me.


    ¡°You know, that orb was bigger than your heart. You might find yourself short on breath during times when you usually have no problem.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Mr. Physician. I¡¯ll see you around.¡± He only waved his hand as I passed by him out of the room. When exiting the clinic I took the road going upward, away from the crowded houses down in the valley. I wanted to walk off the numbness and my growing restlessness. I felt a little bad about leaving him like that but it was effectively drowned out by my own excitement for simply being alive.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The road took a sharp turn and continued horizontally high above everything else. When we moved here I had the road created for two reasons: To be the highest vantage point, and because I liked the scenery. The entrance to the uttermost end, where we had yet to build anything, could be seen from the high way.


    I contemplated the benefits and disadvantages of my current condition, and what could possibly change it in the future, while watching the last light of the day disappear behind the mountaintops. If the orb held then it would prolong my lifespan endlessly, or until the rest of my body gave out. The numbness might become a problem in the long run if it did not go away. I had no idea how long it would last, but I was never a good fighter anyway. I silently asked the setting sun to give me my sense of touch back, fully knowing it couldn¡¯t do a thing. Lack of breath? That might become a problem on roads with harsher terrain. I shuddered at the thought of our trip to the northern glaciers. A trip I didn¡¯t want to forget, but the memory was still haunting.


    I was thinking about all the nuances of my new life when I heard running steps behind me, so I turned. The vice leader of my latest expedition was running towards me. He slowed to a jog when he saw me turn around. He barely panted at all when he came to a stop. The pretend-exhausted pose he did irked me.


    ¡°I admire your stamina, Herald.¡± I said sarcastically, the corner of my mouth twitching. He smiled awkwardly and stood up straighter.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s true then. You¡¯ve been in a really foul mood these last few days.¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°I can¡¯t deny that. I must have been acting like an ass if they have started to talk behind my back so soon. It will probably pass shortly, or get worse.¡± To this, Herald laughed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s pray for the former lest we get no pay for our trip.¡± He put a hand behind his head. ¡°That was the reason I wanted to find you. Everyone but you have turned in their spoils.¡±


    ¡°I carried no spoils this time. But still why be in such a hurry to tell me? The counting isn¡¯t happening before tomorrow, and the day has not even ended.¡± I nodded towards the sunset. He was silent two seconds to long before he answered.


    ¡°The¡­ Never mind. I went around looking for you and was pointed towards the clinic. Our physician looked extremely shaken and that- that tumor did not look healthy.¡± I gestured for him to walk with me.


    ¡°So you came to find me to see if I was all right. What did he tell you?¡±


    ¡°He had a patient with a bad tumor that needed to be removed. Baba, I know the old man. He hasn¡¯t been upset by anything we have brought him. And now he looked like he has seen a corpse rise up from the dead! It is really unnerving.¡± His speech was quick. I could imagine him stepping carefully on shattered glass. While the doctor¡¯s condition made Herald feel unnerved, Herald¡¯s train of thought made me feel sick. I had counted on not being followed today since nothing was due. I had not counted on someone looking for me. By tomorrow¡¯s dawn, my heart would be burnt and ash buried leaving nothing behind. Plus people seemed to know I was in a bad mood so most wouldn¡¯t even want to find me. I did feel bad about the physician but not enough to let myself slowly die so he could feel better. Now I had to feel bad about Herald too. I kept walking forward and started speaking slowly.


    ¡°Tell me, Herald. Would you want to know my secrets?¡± He brightened up at this, only a slight discomfort was left to be seen.


    ¡°Which ones do you mean? The normal secrets or the ones you feed the entrance with?¡± It was obvious to me that he wanted the later. I shrugged my shoulders, flashed him a small smile and said:


    ¡°Both. Or on the other hand, it does not really matter. You won¡¯t remember either of them.¡± I waited.


    ¡°No, wait. Baba Yaga, you must have misunderstood. I do not know anything.¡± He stopped walking and slightly lifted his palms up like he was saying ¡°I yield¡±. I was always fascinated by moments like this. Where outsiders would not know what was really going on. A grown man cowering in fright by a girl he could easily break the neck on. There was a hundred ways he could harm me, or kill me, before I even had the chance to invoke whatever hold I had on the world. He could even run away. Yet he was simply surrendering to me.


    This illusion of power was captivating and frightening. This illusion makes one believe they can act however they want. This, however, is not true. For this illusion is not reality and if you act opposite of what they are willing to submit under, they will no longer submit willingly. I always had to remind myself what is real and what is not. To lower myself to ground level and realize I am not on top of the world. In his mind, his impression of me made him willing to give up so quickly. Whatever his motivations were, I would never know.


    ¡°I will remember you where you do not. It will be fine. You just have to forget the tumor, that is all.¡± He looked uncertain and backed off half a step before he stood his ground. He mumbled something I couldn¡¯t make out and held my eyes. I nodded, like I usually do, and whispered secrets of bittersweet nights. His eyes glazed over and cleared, so fast I wouldn¡¯t have noticed it normally. I forced a smile and asked him.


    ¡°Was that all?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Baba, that was it. I am sorry I disturbed your walk but since you visited the clinic I simply could not do without seeing if you were well.¡±


    ¡°There is no need to explain yourself, Herald. I trust you have reason. Shall we walk back?¡± He agreed so we turned towards the closest road downhill. I must have looked disheartened because he glanced at me several times but never said anything.


    I had a simple dinner with him at the tavern that evening. I tried not to be a jerk to him or anyone else, how well I did is up for debate. We parted ways afterwards and I returned to my house with mixed feelings. I had noticed my mood getting worse before any in my crew even noticing it going downwards. I had consciously chosen to ignore it, too busy chasing down the orb at the time. This numbness, the physician and Herald did not make me any happier, and the excitement of surviving my gamble and the free feeling of getting rid of a heavy burden lifted me up next to bliss. I did not know what the source of my mood was but I planned to take a few days rest and see what happened. Stress might be the simple answer. With that, I went to sleep.

 Chatper 4 - Artifacts and hagravens

    I woke up to the sun¡¯s morning light shining through my open window. I turned so my stomach was down against the mattress and my head faced away from the light. I rested there while letting my thoughts wake up by themselves. I had my eyes closed. I could feel the morning breeze on my neck, the sun¡¯s rays warming my back, the rhythmic sound of my breathing and the low slow hammering in my ear and chest from¡­ my heart¡­ beat. I bounced up. Confusion and fear washed over me as I tried to figure out what happened yesterday. I immediately calmed down when the memories of yesterday came back, but was now painfully aware that there was no increase or decrease in my heartrate. I grabbed my clothes and got dressed while cursing my own foolishness.


    ¡°Silly me! So obvious you just couldn¡¯t see one big huge damn problem with your flawless plan! Okay, it was far from flawless, but anyway!¡± I threw myself down on a chair leaning my head backwards, frantically trying to think which ones in the village who could sense the absence of my heartbeat. He hagravens could without a doubt, and no matter how much I thought about it I couldn¡¯t think of anyone else.


    ¡°No hagravens for the foreseeable future. Haah, one of my greatest assets.¡± Luckily, I knew there would be no hagravens at the common house. With nothing else to do I headed over there, ready to start the day¡¯s business of counting spoils. My job was nothing more than to oversee the process as others evaluated each and every thing, objects that the village required was logged and sent away. The better cloth, clothes, skins, armor, metal, meat, vegetables and seeds were sent to places where they would be the most useful. Leftover things or that which was not needed at the moment, jewelry and miscellanea, was put on display for the road members to choose from. Currency could be split equally between all road members, including me and one share to the village, for them to spend on the next outing. Currency could be traded for the goods in the common house. While we didn¡¯t have much use for currency within our village, we regularly had outings to shop supplies for the village¡¯s common use.


    The common house was a storehouse, a shop and a common room smashed into one with all the uses. For me it was a boring process, watching everyone do their job they had done several times before. It was rarely I was asked for final judgement. But nonetheless, I sat there on the edge of the room watching everything happen. I occasionally glanced over to the common room section out of boredom. The sorting was over when the sun was at the highest in the sky. Before afternoon every road member had received their pay, bought what they wanted, and walked away. Having no reason to stay, I walked to the door but when I passed the last disk I saw Penny. Our beloved common house keeper looked over the shelf with our artifacts for purchase. An idea hit me so I did a pirouette and changed my direction. I called out to her.


    ¡°Mrs. Penny, I distinctly remember that you are well versed in the origin and use of artifacts. Do you have a minute?¡± She raised one of her eyebrows and said with a cheery voice.


    ¡°Sure, what would you like to know?¡± I leaned against the side of the shelf.


    ¡°How long does it take for an artifact to adapt to its surroundings?¡±


    ¡°Growing artifacts is a difficult, expensive and time consuming process, Baba. I do not recommend acquiring it as a hobby. Nevertheless, it can take from minimum a month up to a few years, perhaps even decades. It all depends on how good the mold and the artifact match. To optimize it you want to put the biggest artifact you can put in the mold to have it start growing faster. Is there to much space in the mold an artifact will not grow at all. The material has little to no effect on the duration.¡±


    ¡°But, theoretically, if you put could put a bigger artifact into a mold smaller than it is. How long would it take for it to shrink?¡± I clutched my hands.


    ¡°That, it is practically impossible, or improbable, unless you can find a mold that adapts to the artifact. Theoretically, it would only take a few days for it to finish shrinking.¡±


    ¡°Baba,¡± she called after me, ¡°if you ever find such a mold I would love to have a look at it.¡±


    ¡°If I ever find such a mold on my travels I will bring it back to you, Penny.¡± I smiled to her and left. The physician said that the orb was bigger than my heart. I guessed the pressure of my own body would make it shrink, but I would probably need a miracle to make a heart. I had never heard of an artifact being placed within a body, much less a living body and replacing their organs. I felt depressed. My biggest concern was my hagravens. In many situations they have been extremely useful, even their fierce reputation is of use. However, they certainly didn¡¯t like the undead. Out of everyone in the village, I did not want to cross them. Not much of the village would stay standing of they ran rampant. Still, they were the most knowledgeable about strange things in the world, and I needed all the help I could get. I turned my steps towards their lodging on the far end of the valley. I meet many when passing house after house. I greeted everyone but never stayed to talk. Something must have been wrong with my reasoning to head straight to death like that. I blamed my unbeating heart.


    ¡°So much for ¡®no hagravens¡¯.¡± I muttered when I saw the outline of their house. It was a longhouse surrounded by a dozen smaller ones. These houses were designed to house any witch apprentices, if they deigned themselves to get any. So far the only apprentice was a single witch that was more servant than apprentice. But the witch was happy so I would not bother pointing out the difference. I hesitated at the door. I could imagine them looking like me like some stranger. I could really visualize them run a purging crusade through the valley. I held hopes that my secrets was worth more than their affection for the undead. I knocked on the door and opened it slowly.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Hello?¡± I said carefully, only poking my head through the entrance. All five of the ones who joined the road sat in the middle around the fire pit, the rest were somewhere else. They all looked up at me. In my spinning head I couldn¡¯t tell them apart from each other. One of them shifted, though.


    ¡°Baba Yaga,¡± the closest said with a raspy voice, ¡°what a surprise. We do not get a lot of visitors. Come in, come in.¡± I smiled nervously but stayed where I was. It hit me that I had no idea how I would start. I reasoned that lying wouldn¡¯t be a good idea since they could figure out my condition if they cared to. In the end I did not need to start. One hagraven was extremely keen this day. She trembled and shook greatly; several of her feathers visibly loosened and fell. This drew the attention towards her but she merely croaked in a low chilling voice.


    ¡°Our Baba has a problem, a problem she needs to be solved. So she comes to us even though she has all the answers in the world at her beck and call. She comes asks us knowledgeable hagravens for advice against the unliving.¡± The air chilled with these words, ice particles formed everywhere and hovered in the air. I suppressed my urge of saying ¡°fancy trick¡±. Instead I cleared my throat, took a step inside the room, and closed the door.


    ¡°I am very much alive, hagraven.¡± I looked her over. As far as I could read the body language of hagravens, she seemed anxious and intimidated, not disgusted or hating. The others were in equal mental distress. I hadn¡¯t thought I would be viewed as an undead powerful enough for them to hide from. I fist-pumped in my mind.


    ¡°It is only as you see, my heart is not working properly.¡± I waited for them to say something but all were quiet. I couldn¡¯t imagine myself ever scaring them into silence. I went and sat down on the pelts which surrounded the fire. They followed me with their eyes but did not say anything, so I continued.


    ¡°Ahem, well, it¡¯s not only that it is not working. You see, I took it out.¡±


    ¡°That is why you are so cold inside.¡± The smaller spoke, her voice lean and soft.


    ¡°I confess, I have been feeling a little strange since I did that. My sense of touch is also somewhat numb.¡±


    ¡°Because your cold. Slow creek, flow bad, no fall, lingering souls, earth is hollow.¡° The other hagravens nodded to this statement made by the first who greeted me. I rubbed my forehead. I did not get a word she said. I had no chance to speak before they entered a heated discussion with words I couldn¡¯t put together. I waited until they spoke to me.


    ¡°You must have put something in its place. We place a heat source in ours, thus they are not dead.¡±


    ¡°A crystal. A crystal artifact, or glass, I do not know.¡± I answered and nodded. The smallest spoke again.


    ¡°That is why you are cold, you have no heat source.¡± It seemed like in their talk they had decided I was not an undead but a colder version of their own enhanced followers, of which they currently had none. The chill in the air was gone. They did not speak anymore but sat there and looked into the fire thinking. I, too, looked in the fire and tried to think of something useful. I was hungry so most my thoughts went that way.


    ¡°Baba, you can move mountains. I have seen a wind storm with lightning and dark clouds turn to the kindest breeze with no clouds to be seen. Why can¡¯t you simply change your own heart? You have said that you do not whisper to flesh. But now your heart is no longer of flesh.¡± My chin dropped and I slapped my own face.


    ¡°You earned yourself a secret, hagraven! Ask your question.¡± And she asked with glee. After I had whispered her answer I looked at the rest of my hagraven audience. They looked at me like hungry wolves. I raised my hands and shrugged.


    ¡°What? Next time, be faster at satisfying me. There are no secrets for you to know today. You already got your share for the trip on the road.¡± Laughing I exited the house but stopped as soon as I saw a familiar face. A forever-happy looking boy, no older than ten, was leaning against the corner of a house. He waved and stepped away from the house, he made no indication to get closer to the longhouse. He was our messenger, our gossip on legs, and too fast to catch. I approached him.


    ¡°To come all the way out here, is there trouble? I should have no work more today.¡±


    ¡°Haha! That is too funny, aunt. You are our Baba Yaga, how can you not have work?¡± He smiled at me, moving his weight from one foot to the other, ready to sprint at any time. I mock glared at him but I couldn¡¯t resist his contagious happy mood and failed at concealing a smile. I urged him to tell me his message.


    ¡°The major has a crew to go fix the road. He asks for you to come open the door.¡± I raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°That was quick. Go tell him I¡¯m on my way.¡±


    ¡°Will do!¡± He took off before I could say anything else, though I didn¡¯t have anything else to say. I left the hagravens¡¯ nest with a lighter step than when I arrived there. Now I had an easy way to heal myself, I only hoped that I wouldn¡¯t die during the transformation of the orb. I had been lucky so far, there was no hurt in getting a bit more luck.


    I walked by the tavern and ordered a basket with food before I continued to the entrance. The crew tasked with fixing the road was already there waiting. Without delaying I opened the entrance and we headed out. At the exit of the tunnel I stayed and sat down with my basket to eat dinner while the other continued into the forest. It was a peaceful and quiet dinner. I could not see nor hear them from where I sat. I knew it would take some hours for them to finish so I decided a nap was in order. The floor of the tunnel wasn¡¯t the best but I would make do. At least it was a lot safer when. As I was falling asleep, I vaguely noted Herald arriving and helping himself to my leftovers from dinner. For whatever reason, he sat there until the tasked crew came back and we reentered the village. I felt he wanted to say something, but stayed quiet. And so that day ended.

 Chapter 5 - General

    In a fort made of stone, far away from the mountain range and the hidden village, six individuals was within a spacious room littered with books and loose paper on the tables, shelfs, chairs and even some the floor. Three of the six was dressed in scouts clothing while the other three wore simple clothes or light armor. The former stood up, two of the later sat on two of the chairs not occupied by books. The sixth one was leaning over a map on a table, and spoke:


    ¡°You say you saw Baba Yetu at the nameless village located in North Barren forest.¡± He pointed with his index finger on the map and tapped a few times. ¡°You saw him? With your own eyes?¡± Only one of the scouts answered.


    ¡°Yes, general. I saw her with my own eyes.¡± He looked up questioningly at the other scouts. The shorter one shook his head and the one, Hawk, spoke.


    ¡°General, we saw the fire and a woman looking very much like the description of Baba Yetu. Sverker was the only one who saw where the brown fire started from, next to the woman.¡± The general heaved a great sigh and hung his head. No one knew what he might be thinking but himself.


    ¡°So all this time we have been chasing a woman, a woman.¡±


    ¡°Who has hagravens at her beck and call, sir.¡± The general looked at Sverker. He blinked a few times.


    ¡°He- she has w-what?¡± One of the two, who had yet to speak, stammered.


    ¡°Hagravens, sir. Five of them.¡± The second stood up, showing off his full height. His bellowing voice matching his stature.


    ¡°Those damnable monsters that are impossible to kill?! Disgusting critters that infest our grand empire?! You must be jesting!¡±


    ¡°Hard to kill, chancellor, not impossible. And only because we have not seen something happen doesn¡¯t mean that it can¡¯t.¡± The general sighed again and started to walk around the table. Gesticulating as he did so. ¡±If you observe and investigate hagravens it is quite clear that their species combined goal is to gain knowledge. This Baba Yetu must hold a huge supply of knowledge they cannot get on their own. It¡¯s a long shot but it is the best I can think of.¡±


    ¡°This is a disaster,¡± the only one left sitting said while rubbing his forehead.


    ¡°This does not change the plans we have for this Baba Yetu. Chancellor, minister, go take a break and do your politics. You, Hawk, stay here. I need your knowledge of our land.¡± The two scouts bowed and left. The minister slowly got up from his chair and headed towards the door. The chancellor, dissatisfied with the minister¡¯s pace, grabbed him on his way storming out of the room. Neither the minister nor chancellor offered a goodbye. Hawk joined the general beside the map and their discussion would last long into the night. Their topic of conversation was the Bandit Range, where one certain hideout was located. They wanted to find out exactly were.


    <hr>


    Despite my desire to have a few days off and take it easy, I was not left alone. Two months absence from the village was not uncommon when we went on the road, but during these two months everything possible happened. We had brought new recruits with us to the village so of course they needed lodging and to be taught what they could do and not do. While I always had to read through all the paperwork on final time and sign them when we had new people, apparently I had to choose mentors for them too. Choosing mentors meant I had to go talk with every newcomer to find out in more detail who they were and then match them with one from the village. I had to take into account everything from their main weapon to personality. That was a hard thing to do with so little time. Usually it was the physician that asked all the questions and choose mentor when he checked their general health. However, the physician had suddenly caught a cold and was unable to do his duties.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Our freshwater came from the cave entrance and ran down long the valley bottom in a steady stream. The waterwheel we had broke soon after our departure. The major had prioritized to get it up and running but without an ounce of magic it was a craving task that had yet to be finalized when we came back. The hagravens left at the village had refused to help and I had taken all our witches with me on my hunt. The ones left who knew had earthly gifts was of no use to the repair of the waterwheel. Instead of helping them myself, I sent our messenger boy to the hagravens¡¯ longhouse and tell them to fix it. Poor boy paled and almost fainted when I tasked him with it. He came back in one piece so it was alright.


    A newly wedded couple had given birth to a pair of twin sons. This was cause for celebration that had to be held next new moon, in fourteen days. Curiously enough, this was the hagravens¡¯ tradition that they stubbornly wanted to go through with. It had something to do with their strange culture and their particular way. When I asked they said something I did not understand. When I asked if it was for luck I almost got a beating. I could see her ready to pounce and if stares could kill. Needless to say, I did not ask further. A party now and then couldn¡¯t hurt, and it would get all the hagravens to walk among all others. People were going to get nervous but I saw it as an opportunity to get them a little more accustomed to the rest of us, and us less nervous around them. What could go wrong?


    We had three sons that had come of age this year, our little ceremony for that was dated three days before the newborns¡¯ festivity. I did not ask the hagravens if we could put the two together. Whatever importance the celebration had for them it clearly weighted more than my knowledge, and I had already stepped on one toe to many.


    There were also a lot of other things needed to be organized before something could happen, and a million of smaller things. To celebrations on top of that made the whole village turn upside down. At this time I was very glad I had denied the seat of major when it was offered me, and he was glad he had secretaries.


    It took a whole week before I threw myself on my bed knowing all my priority work had been finished. The physician had been correct on one point I had thought was minor. The orb did take a lot of my breath away when, under normal circumstances, my heart beat should speed up, and so far it had not gotten better. This led me to think that maybe my body¡¯s own pressure was not enough for it to shrink to a reasonable size. I would have to make do with the current size of the orb.


    Not only had I been short on breath, I had a hard time doing normal things that took a little more muscle power than walking around. It felt like my muscles were burning and it got harder and harder to move if I kept going. Carrying a bag of supplies from one place to another left me breathless after the fifth turn. When I excused myself from the chore many glanced at me, I pretended to pay it no mind but inside it ate at my consciousness. I did not want to tell them why my body suddenly could not do what it could before. After that humiliation I did no more physical work.


    I laid there in my bed resting while watching the outside through my open window, the sun was shining unobstructed by clouds and barley a breeze flowed through the valley. Like most other days this time of year, it was a pleasant day with a pleasant weather. A pleasant time of year all around, if one was not plagued by the lack of rainfall which was a known problem for the neighbouring bandit camps. There were only so many sources of freshwater available in the mountain range and the forest surrounding it. Many lesser camps regularly changed owner from time to time. Without a water source one could not remain for long. A problem new inhabitants often had to learn the hard way. My train of thought tried to wander off to the creation of our village but I stopped it before it got anywhere. I was tired and did not wish to think of the trials our early days had brought us. I closed my eyes to shield them from the sun¡¯s rays.


    I opened them again only to realise that it was in the middle of the night. Where did the day go? In my confusion I got up to quickly and blacked out.


    Again I awakened and this time sprawled out on the floor with a headache. I cursed myself with a hex I learnt from one of our witches, knowing it would not hold any power over me since I had no energy to fuel it with. Even so, the useless curse made me feel better. However, there was no way to adjust the crystal now when I had a headache. Even though I knew I had nothing to fuel the hex with, I did not dare curse the crystal. I changed my usual clothes, which I did not bother to change before, to a lighter set of night clothes and curled up under the bed covers. It was too good a weather to close the window. In my sleep, I dreamt of a haunted village.

 Chapter 6 - Herald

    While speaking to Baba on the second day after their arrival from the road, Herald felt like he became rejuvenated, for some odd reason. He had talked to Baba many, many times before but such a thing had never happened previously. While they walked back to the centre of the village, Baba had looked oddly¡­ saddened. Their conversation had not been of a depressing nature. He tried to think about it, but his thoughts came up with zero ideas to why it might be so.


    Herald could not find a valid explanation why he felt so new. He realised that this was nothing he usually focused on, but the feeling felt so wrong. No, not wrong, out-of-place. This second realisation made him wonder when he had felt so before. If he thought it was out of place then he must have felt it before, or at least when and where it should be felt.


    Herald ate dinner at the tavern with Baba. He pitied her a little. You could really see that she tried to be nice, but her words just did not want to bend that way. After some casual conversation they left the tavern and split up. Herald did not head home, though. He headed back to the clinic where he was earlier that day before speaking with Baba. He illogically reasoned with himself that he would remember if he visited the place he was before. Similar to when one forgets where one is heading only to remember when one walked back. Such a thing must work now too, he reasoned. He also had nothing else to do that day so Herald did not have anything to stop him from searching for the origin of the out-of-place feeling.


    The physician was still in his office, he looked a little better than before, and a little bit tipsy. A bottle and an empty glass stood on his desk where before it had been a trey with¡­ The thought eluded him as soon as it came and his mind was washed over with a sense of dread.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Herald knew he had stepped too far. He had not forgotten anything, for it had been removed and that which was left was the feeling one gets on the receiving end of a whisper. He froze. He did not know what to do. He should, he was obliged to go visit Baba again. To get out the last of whatever it was he was not supposed to remember. His heart held the loyalty and in his gut was the action. His mind, though, it did not want to follow the reasonable path. It said to him that if he did not tell anybody, nobody would know. Not even a whisper, for all knew Baba had control over all the whispers in the world. He was torn between his loyalty and stupid brain.


    ¡°You look worse than me, sit down.¡± The physician ordered and, unconsciously, Herald did as ordered. However, the physician did not do anything more than observe the vice leader of the earliest expedition. His eyes held a tiny amount of fear in them, for he knew Herald had been there earlier then gone to Baba. The physician was not daft and he had seen this occurrence before even though they were rare, unfortunately, Herald would not be the last. He thought that Baba must have been feeling ill since she had been careless and not done it correctly. The physician shrugged. If the vice leader wasn¡¯t going to Baba and get mended, then he would tell her.


    Herald did not notice this at all, too busy with his own thoughts and conflicting feelings. He did not know how long he sat there with his thoughts in a mess. Too many things were messing with his reasoning, thus he could no longer think clearly. The waves of dread were not stopping, his loyal heart was aching, and his mind refused his instinct to take control. His mind and body felt separate. Then it stopped and he felt somewhat whole again. He shook his head, rose up and left the clinic without ever uttering a word to the physician. The physician only followed him out with his eyes.


    Herald did not go to visit Baba, his senseless mind had won over the others convincing them what he did was right and justified. He would not utter a word to anyone, he would remain loyal to Baba no matter what happened, and he would not lie if she brought the subject up. He had no dreams that night.

 Chapter 7 - The nightmare

    I don¡¯t like dreams. I never have, never will. Partly because they can be filled with so much nonsense, and partly because the dreamer will believe whatever it is. Until one wakes up and notices all crazy things in it, or forgets the dream altogether. Most of all, dreams seldom tell the truth. How am I to describe a dream with words when there is no rhyme or reason? How to describe the feelings the mind brews up for me as I sleep? I can only try to give a picture of my nightmare.


    I woke up standing in my room wearing a common dress. It was night and there was no window or door. The room was covered in dust and instead of my normal furnishing, there was only a small table and a chair shoved against a wall. There was someone knocking behind me so I turned and opened the door.


    Behind the door was my mother dressed in a similar dress to mine. Right there before me, she aged from a young maiden to the oldest person I had ever seen. She seemingly towered above me as her roaring voice came as a whisper behind my back.


    You should have died like your father, now look what you have wrought upon us. I walked out the door and the ghost of my mother slid to the left side as I passed her. It was day and the sun was shining high in the cloudless sky. I was at the entrance to the valley as it was before we arrived. There was no water running down the middle and trees so far as the eyes could see. There were plenty birds in the sky and animal sounds from the forest. Paradise to my eyes, yet the peace felt so wrong.


    As on cue, the sky darkened and strings of smoke rose from the forest. I recognised them as ghost, of what I did not know. Then the mountains rippled and big chunks of stone rolled of them until all that remained was an enormous pile of gravel. I could not see beyond the former mountains. A light absorbing curtain was in the way. I followed the smoke with my eyes up in the sky, and there I saw a mirror image of the valley as we made it.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    The ghosts were trickling into the houses through the windows and doors. The whole village was brown and grey, there was no greens or reds or any other colour. There was no people to be seen, only the ghosts that continued to rise from the forest below to the village above.


    I wanted to look back at the forest but when I looked down, I saw the stars fall from their place in the sky. I looked up and saw the world far above my head get destroyed by the falling stars. I took a step forward ready to fall into the burning world below. Instead I found myself standing in the windowless room. The chair and table were nowhere to be found. In the darkest corner was a crib.


    I unwillingly walked towards the crib and looked down into it. Two new-born children lay in a pool of blood. I reached my hand towards them. Before I could touch them, I knew they were never to move or cry. Stillborn.


    Undead twins. Who would have thought I would give birth to such abominations? A quiet voice said behind me. There might be some sport making them fight each other. I turned around to see who had spoken. The scenery shifted to a silent hill with a dead greying tree at the top. A skeleton with my dress hanging from a noose. I wanted to speak but every time I opened my mouth the wind would start howling drowning my words so much I couldn¡¯t even hear myself speaking.


    My body felt weird so I looked at my hands, only to find nothing but my bones and the sleeves of my dress. I looked down at my chest and saw the dress hang loose on what was left of myself.


    I looked at the roots of the tree. They grew and slithered further down the hill and the tree grew bigger and bigger. It was still grey and bare but with every branch that came, another skeleton would hang from it. Until it was so huge it covered the sky above my head and I could barely see anything but the dangling feet of the many corpses that had died by my hand. I could hear words coming out from my own lipless mouth once before the world spun into nothingness.


    I gave you something, children. Remember what I gave.

 To my followers (Im not dropping this)

    Hello,


    My 20 followers and the 1 person who favourited my Crystal Heart. I am sorry I have not posted any chapters this passing year (I am going to be rude here and say I do not apologise, I have been working my ass off). You see, I have been trying to make this one work, and I simply haven''t been that successful. I have been writing, then erasing, writing again, rewriting, rewriting and writing chapters that happen way later. I have not been happy with how things turn out on paper, and by god I didn''t figure out that felt wrong!


    I have realised - after an entire year since I last posted - what is wrong with it, and what isn''t working. I have been writing myself into a corner, um, correction: I was cornered the moment I started this novel. Because I didn''t think it through. I didn''t have a solid plan for it, or a plan at all. I knew some what I wanted to write and recklessly dived straight into it. No plot, no line to follow, no nothing. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Which is wonderful, I finally know what exactly what to do! I can do it! It will most likely change some things in the novel. Some of you are going to be happy about it, some are going to be displeased about it but I can almost guarantee there will be changes. Unluckily for you guys and gals, it is NaNoWriMo and I have already started a new novel to try make this year''s wordcount goal. Writing on both would classify me as a NaNoWriMo rebel, and I don''t want to be a rebel. I want to finish this contest as honest as I can be. Basically, if I classify myself as a "rebel" I''m afraid I might start cheating. I do NOT want that to happen.


    Other than that, I sincerely thank you for following and favouriting my Crystal Heart. It has been motivating for me to see that some people actually want to read my severely lacking piece of art.


    Best Regards, Heavenly