ã€ŠThe Wicked Witch of the Wild Westã€‹


 Chapter 1 - A Company Town

    As soon as I stepped on the platform I was struck by a dry, oppressive heat. After several days of non-stop travel I felt a mixture of relief and disappointment when looking at the rough, two horse town in front of me.

    It was a hell of a lot bigger than I was expecting. The last few towns we¡¯d passed consisted of little more than a tavern, store, and train station, so having a fully developed mainstreet was a treat. Unfortunately every single building had the exact same emblem pasted either on the sign, or the windows. Graves Railroad inc. Definitely a company town.

    A quiet, upset hiss from my carpet bag reminded me that I had more important things to do than sightsee. ¡°I¡¯m going, don¡¯t get your tail in a knot,¡± I whispered to the bag as I hefted my rifle case in one hand and the old misshapen carpet bag in the other.

    The platform was nearly empty so it didn¡¯t take me long to make my way down the platform and past the fancy, but weathered sign hanging above the exit that read ¡®Welcome to Gravewater, Oregon.¡¯

    Even though the main street stretched along the full length of the train station, and had multiple amenities, the town didn¡¯t seem to actually be that large, only two or three streets wide. Despite this the street was extremely active, with multiple horses, and wagons, coming in from out of town. As soon as I spotted the hotel, a fairly new looking structure made of boards which had been painted so recently the red color hadn¡¯t had the time to fade, I sprinted across the street, dodging the traffic, before heading inside.

    I half expected to step directly into a tavern floor filled with gambling and prostitution, so I was pleasantly surprised when I found a neat lobby with a well dressed clerk instead. The man took a minute to deal with the small family which had been standing at the desk when I arrived, before turning towards me. ¡°Can I help you ma¡¯am?¡± he asked politely.

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for a private room, for a couple nights. Don¡¯t know exactly how long,¡± I replied, eyeing him up.

    He nodded, then flipped through the ledger on his desk for a moment. ¡°Unfortunately I don¡¯t have any regular rooms available, only a couple of premium ones. We¡¯re quite busy right now.¡±

    ¡°Why? Is there something happening?¡± I asked suspiciously.

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am, one of the company trains is coming through tomorrow. Since this is the only inn in town, many of the local farmers, and ranchers, like to reserve a room ahead of time, so they can be here when it arrives. It¡¯s a pretty big deal around here.¡±

    ¡°I just got off a train, so I don¡¯t get what the big deal is, but ok¡­¡± I muttered as I pulled out my coin purse. ¡°How much are the premium rooms?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Two dollars a night.¡± I didn¡¯t argue, instead I just dug a ten dollar coin out of my purse and dropped it on the counter. Before it even landed the man snatched it up, and placed it in the cashbox. ¡°Name?¡±

    ¡°Zoey Claiborne,¡± I said.

    The man nodded briefly as he filled in the register. Once he was done he reached under the desk, pulled out a key, and handed it to me. ¡°You¡¯ll be in room eight, second floor at the end. Welcome to Gravewater.¡±

    I just nodded politely in response, before taking the key and slipping it into my pocket and quickly making my way upstairs to my room.

    Even though the room had a solid door, and a modern lock, the inside wasn¡¯t anything special. A queen sized bed, chest of drawers, mirror, a stove, and a tiny window which looked out over the street. I quickly placed my bag down on the bed, and popped it open, revealing the small grey striped cat.

    She popped her head out, and stared daggers at me. ¡°Merow!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you know most places don¡¯t allow cats, superstitious bastards,¡± I told my feline familiar.

    Kaylee laid her ears down flat, and stared even harder, but didn¡¯t respond. Now that my cat was finally out of the bag, I threw my worn out black ten gallon hat to the floor, and took a look at myself in the mirror. My raven black hair had dried up during the long trip, leaving it brittle and frayed, and I had huge bags under my hazel eyes. My fair skin was fine, but it wouldn¡¯t take long for me to burn in this weather, if I wasn¡¯t careful.

    There was a small bowl of fresh water on the chest of drawers, probably one of the few extra amenities for the premium room, so I took a few minutes to clean myself up before turning back towards the bed. ¡°Do you think this is far enough west yet?¡±

    Kaylee looked up from where she was grooming herself, and stared at me for a moment. ¡°Meow¡±

    ¡°I know, I know. There¡¯s no way for either of us to actually know, I just wanted your opinion,¡± I told her.

    Kaylee just cocked her head to the side, then went back to grooming.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    ¡°Fine, be that way,¡± I mumbled.

    Since Kaylee was occupying the bed, and there was a bowl of water on the chest of drawers, I dragged my rifle case over to the window sill. I ran my hand over the long, textured leather case lovingly before flipping the latches open to peer inside. The railway prevented anyone from openly carrying on their trains, and they had the muscle to back it up, so I had put my firearms away for the trip. Now that we¡¯d arrived, I was itching to put my revolver back on my belt.

    The case was built with three compartments. There were spaces in the lid to secure my pair of Black Steel Co Revolvers, even though I normally only carried one at a time. Opposite the revolvers, was a space for my repeating rifle. The dark metal barrel and heavy walnut stock had been expensive, I¡¯d saved for months in order to buy it back home, and only had one chance to use it. Now just looking at it brought back horrific memories.

    I pulled the rifle out, and set it aside, in order to get access to the final, hidden compartment. Underneath the rifle, hidden beneath a false panel, was my broom. Although most of the coven had been quite traditional, hand making their own brooms, I had used a more modern design. The solid oak handle had a screw joint in the middle which allowed me to break it down for transport, and the bristles were tightly packed with artificial fibers, instead of straw. I had polished it as smooth as possible over the years, and it fit me perfectly.

    It was both my pride and joy, and one of the very few artifacts which I had that still worked after the incident.

    I slowly brushed my hand down its length, before finally pulling away and closing the compartment again. It was best to be cautious. If anyone found it, it would cause issues for me.

    I carefully placed my rifle back in its compartment, before grabbing one of my pistols and closing the case again.

    I ran my hands over its black enamel with the silver embossed finish of the six shooter before grabbing its pearly wood grip. I carefully ejected and checked the cylinder and barrel, before loading it with the rounds and tucking it back into the black leather holster on my belt. Once I did, I felt immensely better.

    ¡°Hold down the fort for a while, I want to look around,¡± I told Kaylee. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll bring you dinner when I come back, just remember to stay out of sight.¡± The cat meowed her confirmation, satisfied with my declaration, before disappearing under my bed, and meowing a half hearted goodbye.

    ¡°Yeah yeah, I love you too,¡± I grumbled as I grabbed my hat from the floor and headed to the door.

    After locking up, I deposited the key into a pocket on my vest, before heading back down to the street.

    They¡¯d moved the train out of the station, but I could still see it at a small railyard just outside of town. Over a dozen employees crawled all over it, doing maintenance, refilling the coal car, and checking the passenger cars. Most towns didn¡¯t even have the infrastructure to supply coal, so for the company to invest in a full maintenance shed probably meant they had big plans for this place later.

    I clicked my tongue at the thought. I¡¯d come here, right to the end of the rail line to avoid people, and found a burgeoning town instead.

    I turned away from the train and started making my way down the boardwalk, glancing inside each building I passed. There was a saloon, which despite having the drinking and gambling I expected at the inn, was more subdued than most establishments I¡¯d seen elsewhere. Beside it was the bank, which seemed to deal mainly in company notes, the sheriff¡¯s office, a telegraph office, company store, and finally a blacksmith. I even double checked the side streets, looking for more businesses, only to locate the butcher, stable and the church, but nothing else. I expected more somehow.

    Since I didn¡¯t have another choice, I stepped into the small company store. As I wandered up to the counter, looking over the stock, a little boy peeked out of the back room. The two of us stared at one another in silence for a moment before he turned towards the back and yelled, ¡°Pa! Customer!¡± before disappearing. A second later a slightly balding, bow backed man stepped forward.

    ¡°Howdy stranger. Welcome to Gravewater mercantile, how can I help you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just looking for some supplies to get me through the week.¡± I reported, looking through my options. The man nodded politely while I browsed. ¡°I noticed you only carry the staples, if I want something else can you order it for me?¡±

    He chuckled. ¡°This must be your first time in a Graves controlled town ma¡¯am. All the company stores only stock the basics, because the big ticket items are only sold directly from the company trains. There¡¯ll be one coming through tomorrow, if you¡¯re interested.¡±

    ¡°Not sure why you wouldn¡¯t just stock things locally. It seems overly complicated.¡±

    ¡°Company policy,¡± he said. ¡°As long as they sell directly from the train, and don¡¯t ship anything in, no one can set up a competitive store. Graves has operated that way for years, you¡¯ll get used to it pretty quick if you stick around." He smiled softly and leaned against the counter. ¡°So, can I get you anything?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, just some cooking supplies, bacon, bread, beans and eggs,¡± I said, after quickly perusing what was available. ¡°Looks like I¡¯m going to have to stop by that train tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll enjoy it, it¡¯s quite an experience,¡± the shop keeper said, as he busied himself with collecting my supplies. It didn¡¯t take him long before he came back, with a decent sized sack. ¡°That¡¯ll be fifty cents¡±

    I fished a couple coins out of my pocket and handed them over, before taking my groceries.

    As I stepped back outside, I noticed a commotion back towards the sheriff''s office. From what I could tell, a small posse had rode into town while I was occupied. Bounty hunters?

    The group had already attracted a lot of attention, so I stepped up to one of the locals nearby. ¡°What¡¯s going on? They bring in a major bounty or something?¡±

    One of the women nearby turned to me, with a massive smile on her face. ¡°Even better! They managed to pick up a couple of rogue spellcasters from that commune outside of town. It¡¯s about time too! They¡¯ve gotten away with their witchcraft for far too long. Cursing our cows to produce less milk, causing our chickens to stop laying eggs. It¡¯s about time those heathens faced true justice!¡±

    As the rest of the group muttered their approval, I tried to catch a look at the ¡®perpetrators¡¯. I just managed to catch sight of two girls, so young they could barely be considered teens, as the posse dragged them off the horses and shoving them inside the sheriff¡¯s office.

    Every instinct in my body cried out to help the girls, but I knew I couldn¡¯t do anything. Not with so many people around. Instead I just forced a fake smile. ¡°Justice, right.¡±

 Chapter 2 - The price of magic

    ¡°Magic is illegal? What backwater bullshit is this?¡± I muttered as I entered my room.

    Kaylee just popped her head out from her hiding spot underneath the pillows and looked at me quizzically. ¡°Mow?¡±

    ¡°Yes you heard me right. I just watched the townspeople here drag two young girls into town for the supposed charge of being witches,¡± I huffed. ¡°I asked around and apparently the Graves company convinced the townspeople around here that magic is illegal, and they should turn any casters they find over to the company. I knew they¡¯d be superstitious, that¡¯s why we¡¯ve been traveling incognito, but I never thought it would be this bad! Magic hasn¡¯t been illegal since the end of the witch trials, and you¡¯d need to be a suspected diabolist before the witch hunters were notified!¡± I slammed my fist into the chest of drawers in frustration, only to immediately regret it. I didn¡¯t have any body enhancement magic on to absorb the impact, so I gently massaged my knuckles to soothe the bruise.

    ¡°Meow?¡± Kaylee asked, tilting her head to the side.

    ¡°No, they don¡¯t know I¡¯m a witch,¡± I replied as I paced back and forth. ¡±Even though they have some magic disrupting tools, they have no way to detect magic. The town probably only has a couple paid lawmen, and probably more than a few company men. The government wouldn¡¯t station any witch hunters out here."

    My cat narrowed her eyes, ¡°Murrr¡­.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Can I help those kids? I doubt it. I still don¡¯t know the full layout of the town, and even if I did, I¡¯d have to risk exposing myself as a witch to help them. If I did that, I¡¯d make an enemy not only of the entire town, but the Graves company too. It¡¯s not worth it.¡±

    ¡°Mhrrr!¡± Kaylee declared, jumping to her feet.

    ¡°I know I¡¯m lying to myself,¡± I spat out, as I threw my hands in the air. ¡°I fucking hate that these people are treating those kids like criminals, just because they have magic. They don¡¯t deserve to be persecuted like that, of course I want to help them. ¡±

    ¡°MOW!¡± she hissed, stomping one of her feet.

    ¡°I¡¯m not just going to go out and attempt a jailbreak tomorrow,¡± I replied indignantly. ¡°That would only result in me sharing a cell with the girls.¡±

    Kaylee huffed, although I wasn¡¯t sure if it was in agreement, or disappointment, before hopping down from her perch and walking over to me. Instead of nuzzling me, she pawed at my shopping bag, trying to find out what was inside. I could tell when she found the bacon, because she immediately started purring.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re planning to do with those girls, they could end up dead¡­ or worse, and all you can think about is food,¡± I said, looking down at her in disappointment. She just looked back up at me, in expectation. ¡°Fine, dinner first, planning second, you glutton.¡±

    She just stared up at me, and I could swear there was a tiny smug smile on her face. ¡°Meow.¡±

    After cooking dinner on the stove in my room, and feeding Kaylee, I sat on the window sill and stared down into the street. During the day the Graves company presence was heavy, but during the evening it was absolutely oppressive. There were a number of groups wandering the streets, and even though they didn¡¯t have any identification, at least as far as I could tell, the locals were treating them with significant respect. At one point one of these groups even stormed into the tavern to settle some sort of ruckus. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    They had to be company men, and since I counted at least a dozen of them while I nibbled on my egg toast, it was quite a large contingent.

    If I wanted to leave town that wouldn¡¯t be a problem, even if the townsfolk identified me as a witch. There didn¡¯t appear to be any actual witch hunters in town, which meant the locals were limited to protective trinkets. Attacking a fully trained witch without training would be suicide, which is probably why they kidnapped some kids and considered it a victory. This lot would never be able to break into a true coven, not without some serious backup.

    That didn¡¯t mean I¡¯d be able to rescue two kids, and escape town before getting gunned down. Even though I had been crippled, I still had more than enough tricks to deal with most mudanes, but I couldn¡¯t take on a whole town.

    I brushed the crumbs off my shirt and pants, before stepping away from the window and placing my plate on the drawers.

    ¡°Mowww?¡± Kaylee questioned, half a stick of bacon in her mouth.

    ¡°No, there are far too many eyes on the street for me to go out and investigate tonight. I¡¯ll probably end up on a watch list, as a person of interest, if I do anything besides going to the saloon. We can investigate more tomorrow.¡±

    I turned to close the window, and by the time I turned back around Kaylee had already sprawled on her back, right in the middle of the bed. I just sighed. There was no point trying to remove her, if I did I¡¯d only regret it by the time I woke up in the morning, so I just kicked off my boots, slipped under the covers and blew out the light. Thankfully sleep came quickly.

    As soon as the first rays of light came through the window my eyes shot open. It felt like my arm was being torn apart by hundreds of jagged teeth, and my brain felt like it was on fire. I took a few deep breaths, spending several minutes trying to suppress the sensations before they began to fade. Once I felt slightly better I shifted over, and sat on the side of the bed. Kaylee was snoring loudly, so I let her sleep. I just quietly wiped myself down, pulled a new outfit out of my bag, and changed in the morning light.

    By the time my cat finally stirred I¡¯d not only changed, but done a full maintenance routine on all my weapons.

    ¡°Mow?¡± she asked as I holstered my pistol.

    ¡°No fresh food this morning, I don¡¯t feel like cooking. There¡¯s jerky on the drawers.¡± She looked at me in concern, and didn¡¯t complain.

    Instead she just silently took a strip of jerky over to a corner to enjoy. I watched her for a minute, enjoying the quiet while I worked up my nerves, before finally standing up. ¡°I¡¯m going for a walk, stay out of trouble while I¡¯m gone.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk with anyone this morning, so I quickly made my way through the inn and out onto the street. Turning down the boardwalk I slowly made my way down the street, casually tipping my hat at the few people I met, not really paying attention to my surroundings. Until someone stepped out of the sheriff¡¯s office, directly in my way.

    I blinked in surprise, and stepped back in order to get a look at the stranger. He was quite rugged looking, with a massive brown bushy mustache and sharp brown eyes. His entire outfit was neat, cleaner than most, and most importantly there was a shiny metal star hanging from his vest.

    ¡°Good morning ma¡¯am,¡± he said as he casually brushed his mustache. ¡°You¡¯re new in town, aren¡¯t ya.¡± I wasn¡¯t the most observant person on the planet, but it was hard to miss how much he was eyeing me up.

    ¡°Morning¡­Deputy,¡± I muttered questioningly, standing up as straight as I could.

    ¡°Sheriff actually, Sheriff Anderson,¡± he corrected, narrowing his eyes slightly.

    ¡°Sheriff, sorry.¡± I put on my best fake smile for him. ¡°I just arrived last night actually, haven¡¯t done much more than pick up supplies and collapse at the inn.¡±

    ¡°Really? How are you liking things so far?¡± I noticed a little movement further up the street, it was subtle, but one of the company gun hands that was leaning against a shop front glanced my way. Were they testing me?

    ¡°It¡¯s certainly different from what I¡¯m used to back east. I didn¡¯t know what to expect, but everyone¡¯s been super friendly so far,¡± I replied smoothly. Even though I wanted to appear casual and open to the man, my head was still pounding. I winced as a ray of light bounced off his star and hit me in the eyes. The sheriff raised an eyebrow, so I gave him a small tired smile, ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t sleep very well last night.¡±

    ¡°Understandable. It was your first night in a new place,¡± he said flatly. I glanced at his face, and didn¡¯t see any empathy, just a wary, judging stare. ¡°Are you staying long, Mrs¡­?¡±

    ¡°Claiborne. Zoey Claiborne,¡± I told the sheriff. ¡°And I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ve just been moving west, looking for a place to settle down.¡±

    The man nodded, never taking his eyes off me. ¡°A common story. If you feel like sticking around, please come and see me. I¡¯m not only the sheriff, but also the company representative, and I can see what I can do to set you up. If not, just make sure you keep your nose clean. The company keeps a tight ship, and we don¡¯t appreciate trouble makers. Got it?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir,¡± I whispered meekly.

    ¡°Good, have a good day Mrs Claiborne,¡± the sheriff said stiffly before turning away. As he stomped away I noticed three other individuals turn away. It wasn¡¯t just the man I spotted, but a couple others across the street.

    As the corporate goons dispersed, I just grabbed my forehead. ¡°So much for not attracting attention.¡±

 Chapter 3 - The Company Train

    As soon as the sheriff left I bent over and rubbed my eyes. My head was killing me, but I wasn¡¯t going to let it keep me down. As I straightened up I noticed two of the sheriff¡¯s men had stuck around, following me. I wasn¡¯t sure if I¡¯d done something to rouse their suspicions, or if the locals were just naturally wary of strangers, but I considered myself lucky that I just got a talking to, and I wasn¡¯t dragged to jail or something.

    The surveillance was going to make it more difficult to get things done, but I wasn¡¯t going to let them stop me. If anything, it forced me to accelerate the vague plans I was putting together in my head.

    I had just turned towards the town stable when a long, low train whistle shattered the previously quiet morning atmosphere. As soon as it did, people flooded into the street, rushing towards the train station. I stared at the mob in shock. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡±

    ¡°The company train is coming in,¡± one of the weaselly looking shadows that had been assigned to me explained. He had such a thick rural accent that it took several seconds for my brain to translate it. ¡°I figured you were a lookout for a gang lookin to make it big by holding it up, but you really don¡¯t know anything, do yah?¡±

    I glanced back at the younger man, who was smiling at me with a mouth full of half crooked, half missing teeth. ¡°I¡¯d never even heard of it until I talked to the old man in the general store yesterday.¡±

    As I chatted with my ¡®escort¡¯ a massive train pulled into the station. The engine had to be thirty percent larger than the one I¡¯d arrived on. The train engine looked state of the art. The boiler was either seamlessly integrated into the carriage, or had some sort of casing surrounding it. There were dozens of heavy panels mounted all the way down the side of the engine, each one with intricate inlay. It wasn¡¯t until I saw the massive brass colored cow catcher, which looked more like a shield than a grill, that the purpose of those panels clicked.

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of armor,¡± I mumbled in awe.

    ¡°That there is the pride of the Graves company. It could take fire from the biggest cannons the military has and not even slow down,¡± he leaned forward conspiratorially, ¡°and completely shrug off any of that heathen magic.¡±

    ¡°And you were worried I¡¯d try and ROB that?¡± I asked incredulously. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Timing mostly. We don¡¯t get many visitors here, and the train only comes once a month, can¡¯t be too careful.¡±

    I started walking towards the stables again, this time much slower as I watched the circus on the opposite platform. The heavy armored walls of the train cars slowly unfolded into ramps, revealing several storefronts within. They had everything from fancy weapons, to saddles, to cookware. The clerk hadn¡¯t been lying, the train was carrying pretty much everything a person out here needed.

    Two gunmen in each car, made it one of the most well protected trains I¡¯d ever seen.

    As I came up to one of the cross-streets, on my way out of town, another ruckus arose behind me. I glanced back to see the sheriff and his posse escorting the two girls out of the jail. The pair were trussed up in bronze colored shackles, and most of the townspeople were booing and hissing at them as they passed. My talkative escort even spat on the ground.

    ¡°Good riddance. The company will handle those curse throwin heathens, so we can rest easier here,¡± he spat out, using his awkward local slang.

    ¡°Why not just hang em here? Isn¡¯t sending them away more work?¡± I asked suspiciously.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    ¡°You really don¡¯t know anything, do yah?¡± The toothless man laughed. ¡°If we kill ¡®em here they¡¯ll curse us with their last breath. The company knows how to deal with them cleanly.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± I muttered. That was the most backwater, batshit insane thing I¡¯d ever heard. Death curses were a thing of the spirits, not practitioners. Someone had to be shoveling some grade A bullshit for the entire town to buy it.

    I watched as the two girls disappeared into the caboose, along with the sheriff. A few seconds later the man exited carrying a large bag. The instant he stepped out his deputies closed in around him like a protective shield.

    ¡°Monthly payroll,¡± I guessed idly.

    ¡°Got it in one, guess you¡¯re not as stupid as I thought,¡± my gingivitis ravaged shadow laughed. He rocked back and forth on his heels, chuckling .¡°That train is one of the most well protected in the west. Can you think of a better way to deliver this month¡¯s cash?¡±

    I just narrowed my eyes. ¡°If this is the last stop on the line, why were you afraid of someone jumping the train? Wouldn¡¯t most of the cash already be gone? Wouldn¡¯t it be smarter to try and intercept the train further east?¡±

    The man stopped laughing.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good point,¡± he muttered, stroking his stubble. ¡°Well, there¡¯s still a lot of good gear on there. You¡¯d never get away with nearly as much, but you could make a pretty penny.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d have to be insane to attack that thing though.¡±

    My escort smiled his horrific smile again. ¡°True.¡±

    I turned away from the train and crossed the street. I¡¯m pretty sure the only thing I¡¯d get from watching the train further would be more shadows and suspicion. ¡°How long is the train going to be here anyways? The way that everyone swarmed the train makes me think it¡¯s not going to be around for long.¡±

    ¡°Naw, the train sticks around for about a day. The ranch hands just tend to get a little jumpy after missing their chance once or twice, so they always show up early. It¡¯ll clear up later,¡± I could feel his eyes on my back, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because if I¡¯m going to find a place to stay around here, I¡¯m going to need a horse, some tack, and some camping gear. I¡¯d hate to have to wait another month,¡± I replied drolly.

    My companion chuckled, ¡°Good! As long as you¡¯re an upstanding citizen, and don¡¯t try anything stupid, we¡¯ll get along just fine.¡±

    ¡ª

    I rode back to the hotel several hours later with a new black horse named Nightmare, and a whole set of new gear. I hadn¡¯t originally planned to buy a horse, but these people were so suspicious of me that there was no way I¡¯d manage to leave town without one. I paid a couple extra cents to keep the horse behind the inn, before I calmly made my way upstairs.

    Well, I looked calm, inside I was anything but.

    As soon as I was inside the room, the door safely closed behind me, I slammed my fist into the side of the chest of drawers. This time I was pretty sure I¡¯d broken my hand.

    ¡°Mow?¡± came the quiet call from under the bed.

    ¡°No, everything is certainly NOT alright,¡± I snarled. ¡°That asshole sheriff apparently thinks I¡¯m suspicious, so he¡¯s assigned people to keep track of me. The girls have been loaded onto the train out there, while trussed up in magic dispersing shackles I might add, and we have less than twenty four hours until it leaves. I¡¯d say we¡¯re up shit creek without a paddle.¡±

    ¡°Muurrrrrr?¡± My cat stuck her head out from under the bed, eyes narrowed.

    ¡°Do I have a plan? Yes. Is it a good plan? Fuck no, but it¡¯s the best I can come up with on short notice. I¡¯m going to make dinner, then I¡¯m going to need you to take my bag, and sneak out of town,¡± I said, lighting the stove and fishing a few supplies out of my bag. ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone would find it suspicious if I disappeared, or left town with all my stuff before the train left, so I need them to believe I¡¯ve left my stuff here. That I¡¯m coming back.¡±

    Kaylee watched me silently for a minute, eyes narrowed, before letting out a low ¡°Hissss...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t leave you out there for long. We¡¯ll meet just down the railway line, out of sight of the town, first thing in the morning. Plus, I¡¯ll give you extra rations for doing me this favor.¡±

    My cat pouted, obviously upset, but more than willing to take extra bacon in exchange for carrying the bag. She paused a moment before letting out a, ¡°Meow?¡±

    I stared at the pan, mindlessly flipping the eggs and bacon while I tried to figure out how to respond. ¡°That train out there is a tank. It has enough warding, disguised as decoration, and armor to shrug off firearms and conventional magic, and it has enough guards to fight off a small army, and that¡¯s not counting the other company men in town, I¡¯d never be able to get the girls out alive¡­ while it¡¯s in town.¡±

    Kaylee sat up, her eyes going wide. ¡°Mow!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, it would be crazy to take that thing on alone, but I think it may be possible.¡± I said, speaking quietly, in case someone was at the door. ¡°As I see it, we have two major advantages. First, they have two men sealed in each car, and I¡¯m betting that it¡¯ll take a while to get out if there¡¯s a fight. If I¡¯m fast enough I can hit the car the girls are in, and evacuate them before most of the men know what¡¯s happening.¡±

    ¡°Murrr?¡±

    ¡°The second?¡± Turning the eggs, a small smile on my face. ¡°Well, they may be warded against conventional magic, but right now my magic is anything but conventional.¡±

 Chapter 4 - A Local Guide

    ¡°Going somewhere?¡± Sheriff Anderson asked the next morning, as I was saddling my new horse. It wasn¡¯t surprising that his toadies ran his way the instant I made a move, but the fact that they were this fast was a little disconcerting.

    ¡°I was heading to your office actually,¡± I replied as I secured my rifle case to the back of Nightmare, ¡°I wanted to check out the area, maybe find out what land was available.¡±

    ¡°Really¡­¡± he drawled. When I finally had everything secure, and turned to face him, I noticed half a dozen of his men stalking around the perimeter, pistols on display. The tiny stable area behind the inn was heavily shadowed by the surrounding buildings, fenced in, and only had one good exit back to the road. It would be a terrible place to get trapped if things went south. ¡°Most of the land close to town is owned by the company, or the other locals, you¡¯d have to go pretty far out of town to find anything. It¡¯d be pretty easy for you to get lost out there.¡±

    I knit my brow in mock concern. ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s unfortunate. Maybe you could lend me a map, or be able to direct me to a guide that knows the area? I wouldn¡¯t want to step on any toes.¡±

    My acting was beyond terrible, but it was apparently good enough for the sheriff. Either that, or that little bit of bait I threw out was good enough that he was willing to overlook it. ¡°Unfortunately, I just have one copy of the property map, but a lot of my boys know the area quite well. Billy! Todd! Get yer horses ready!¡± he yelled over his shoulder.

    Gingivitis, and a particularly large and intimidating man both nodded and ran off.

    ¡°Do you have any requirements?¡± Sheriff Anderson asked, his tone slightly more accommodating.

    ¡°Easy access to water, maybe a little bit isolated, and plenty of landmarks to help me get back to town,¡± I replied, counting off my fingers as I listed each requirement. After the last one, I leaned a little closer to the sheriff, whispering conspiratorially¡°I have a terrible sense of direction.¡±

    He nodded sagely. ¡°You have plans for crops, or livestock?¡±

    ¡°Maybe in the future, once I¡¯m settled in. Hard to make plans when I haven¡¯t seen the area yet,¡± I told him.

    The sound of hooves interrupted our brief conversation, which was good because I was sure if the conversation had lasted much longer the sheriff would have realized everything I was saying was complete bullshit.

    As soon as the pair of deputies, or whatever they were, rode into the small stable area behind the inn Anderson made a lasso motion with one arm, and the rest of his men dispersed.

    ¡°My boys will show you a couple places, hopefully one will catch your eye. Have a pleasant trip,¡± the sheriff said, tipping his hat before turning towards the two other men. ¡°Show her the south ridge,¡± he muttered so quietly I¡¯m sure I wasn¡¯t supposed to hear it. ¡°If she¡¯s on the up and up maybe we can use her to keep an eye on the Marcus¡¯s¡±

    ¡°You got it boss,¡± the gangly one practically yelled, tobacco juice leaking between his rotted teeth. ¡°We¡¯ll keep a keen eye on her, make sure nothing happens.¡±

    I rolled my eyes as I turned my back to the group and mounted my horse. The idiot must have either been a relative of someone in the company, or extremely reliable worker, because he sure as hell wasn¡¯t great at keeping his mouth shut.

    ¡°Which way are we headed first?¡± I asked as the sheriff stomped off. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°South, cross the tracks and into the foothills,¡± the bigger man replied gruffly. Wheeling his horse he slowly trotted away.

    ¡°Ignore Todd, he¡¯s a decent fella, but not too talkative,¡± my friend from yesterday announced in his local drawl. Billy, if what the sheriff yelled earlier was to be believed.

    As I galloped past him, rushing to catch up to Todd, Billy casually wheeled his horse on the spot and fell into position beside me. The two of us caught up right at the edge of town, at the first railway crossing beyond the end of the train. Even though the terrain on the North side was completely flat, the South quickly broke out into rough rocky hills. Most of the area had been clearcut, probably to help develop the town, but there was quite a forest in the distance.

    ¡°Anything I should know about before we head out? Bandits? Natives? Beasts? Supernatural Horrors?¡± I tried to act nervous at first, but by the time I got to the word horrors I was shaking for real.

    ¡°Yah don¡¯t have to worry about anything like that around here,¡± Billy announced. ¡°Sheriff is proactive about dealing with troublemakers, and the company did extensive surveys, ensuring that Gravewater was well out of the way of any beasts.¡± The disgusting cowpoke reached into his pocket and pulled out some chewing tobacco, popping a massive gob in his mouth before continuing. ¡°The tribes have been avoiding us, and the nearest one is a couple days south. The only thing you really gotta worry about is the heathens, and they almost never leave that commune of theirs.¡±

    ¡°Enough idle chat,¡± Todd snapped as he spurred his horse forward. This time I was ready, and Nightmare appeared to be a better horse, so I was able to keep up.

    Once Nightmare had settled into a proper rhythm I glanced over at my escorts. ¡°Where are we going then?¡±

    ¡°Sheriff asked us to show you the ridge,¡± Billy shouted. Strangely, it was easier to understand him over the sound of the wind than when he was talking as usual. ¡°Most locals are on the north side, flatter, better for livestock. There¡¯s an overlook that¡¯s fairly well sheltered from the bad weather that we use to occasionally check on the southern valley. Creek nearby, enough room for a small homestead, but not great if you plan on raising animals.¡±

    I bobbed my head. Sounded like a nice place, and if the situation wasn¡¯t so fucked up, I probably would have thought it was an ideal location to settle down. But there was no way that was happening now.

    It only took a few minutes to reach the treeline, and once we did Todd slowed his horse down to a walk. Even though the tree cover wasn¡¯t that thick, it was mostly pine and spruce in this area, the ground was uneven and there were quite a few massive boulders strewn about.

    As we slowly made our way forward, I glanced back towards the town. Even if there wasn¡¯t a massive ridge between us and Gravewater, it was probably beyond the horizon. Far enough.

    ¡°Nervous?¡± Billy cackled, tobacco juice running down his face.

    ¡°Something like that,¡± I mumbled as I slowly lowered one hand towards my belt.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry your pretty little head about it, the area¡¯s safe and we¡¯re¡­¡± I don¡¯t think Billy even had time to register that I¡¯d drawn my pistol before putting two rounds straight into his chest. My magic rolled over the black enamel, swallowing most of the noise from the shots. It was normally a dangerous thing for me to do, I¡¯d accidentally adjusted the trajectory of the rounds doing this before, but at this distance, I couldn¡¯t miss.

    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Todd snarled, as he spun around in his saddle, I could tell he was reaching for his pistol. He wasn¡¯t a fast draw.

    He also took two rounds, one in the back and the other in the side of the head, and was dead before Billy¡¯s body even finished sliding off his horse.

    ¡°That went surprisingly well.¡± My words were barely louder than the sound of my pistol sliding back into my holster. The men¡¯s horses had apparently been well trained, and even after hearing my admittedly muffled gunshots, they¡¯d remained calm. Now they were just wandering around the area, aimless. ¡°I wish I could still compel you two to stay away from town,¡± I grumbled, ¡°But since I can¡¯t, I¡¯ll just have to hope you take your time.¡± One of the horses looked up and snorted, I could only hope that meant they were agreeing with me.

    Quickly gathering Nightmare¡¯s reins, and directed the horse back towards the north. Even though my sense of direction was ALMOST as bad as I had told the sheriff, surely I could avoid the town and still find the railway tracks. Skirting the town was easy, the clearcut treeline provided a clear demarcation line. I wasn¡¯t stupid enough to ride out into the open, I just stayed close enough to see the clearcut, but far enough in to remain hidden from prying eyes.

    Unfortunately the woods didn¡¯t approach close enough to the train line for me to follow them all the way, so I just followed them west until I couldn¡¯t see the town, before emerging and heading toward the rails.

    As they came into sight I noticed another shape, perched on a rock nearby. Kaylee gave me a feline smirk, and pawed the oversized carpetbag underneath her as soon as she noticed me. ¡°Mow!¡±

    ¡°Yes, you did an amazing job,¡± I acknowledged as I guided Nightmare up next to her. The cat casually hopped onto the back of the saddle. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re safe,¡± I whispered back to my cat, before reaching over and hefting the carpet bag, grunting. ¡°and that at least one of us can still use body enhancements.¡±

    ¡°Merrr?¡± Kaylee asked.

    ¡°Now? I want to get as far away from Gravewater as possible before the train leaves,¡± I told her as I urged Nightmare forward. ¡°The last thing we need is to be interrupted by reinforcements from the town.¡±

    As we rode away a faint train whistle echoed through the area; Almost like it was challenging me. I glanced back towards the distant town and gritted my teeth, ¡°That thing is going to be tough enough to crack as it is.¡±

 Chapter 5 - Unconventional Magic

    The late afternoon sun beat down on the small outcropping which I¡¯d hidden myself. I could have set up closer to the treeline, but the rocks were a lot closer to the tracks, and provided a much better sightline, so here I stayed.

    ¡°Mow?¡± Kaylee called from her position on Nightmare¡¯s saddle, as the horse wandered around, grazing on the scrub grass.

    The secondary holster on my hip felt a little heavy, so I readjusted it for the twentieth time since I¡¯d strapped it on. I rarely had a reason to wear both of my pistols at the same time, but if things went south I¡¯d probably need the second weapon.

    ¡°No, I doubt they found the horses,¡± I replied without looking away from the tracks, ¡°And even if they did I doubt they would have delayed the train. I couldn¡¯t ask for the exact train schedule without looking suspicious, so all I know is the train is scheduled to head back east sometime today.¡±

    My cat leaned forward, pinned her ears back, and narrowed her eyes. ¡°Murrr¡­¡±

    ¡°If the train doesn¡¯t show up by the end of the day, then we¡¯ll know I¡¯m wrong. No matter how strong it is, I doubt they¡¯d be stupid enough to send it suspecting an ambush,¡± I snapped, whirling about to yell at my cat. ¡°What do you want me to do? Head back and check?¡±

    Of course, the instant I took my eyes off the track a distant train whistle cut through the air. I snapped back towards the track and scanned the horizon. As soon as I spotted the smallest sign of smoke on the horizon, I hopped down.

    ¡°You know the plan right? As soon as I sever the caboose from the train, bring Nightmare up. I can¡¯t carry three people on my broom.¡± My broom, which I had assembled early and left leaning against a nearby rock, jumped into my hand.

    The ground was shaking now, and the sound of the train was rapidly approaching, so I flipped my broom horizontal before straddling it.

    ¡°Merrrrrrr,¡± Kaylee whined as Nightmare paced around nervously.

    ¡°Too late for second thoughts now,¡± I yelled over the growing noise. ¡°Just make sure you get Nightmare up there, I don¡¯t want to stay even a second longer than we have to.¡±

    That¡¯s when the train engine shot past our hiding spot. The burst of wind nearly knocked me off my broom, before I tightened my grip and lowered myself closer to the shaft. A little part of me was glad the armored carriages were locked up, and had no windows, because that meant that no one could see me flailing about before I even started the attack.

    As the second to last wagon passed I leaned forward, unholstered one of my pistols, and urged my broom forward. My fingers and arm screamed as I struggled to maintain my grip as the broom accelerated insanely fast.

    Within seconds I was flying next to the junction between the last car, and the caboose. As my gun hand came up, aiming at the coupling, I let the void within me loose. The concentrated nothingness surged outwards. I was barely able to direct it towards the end of my pistol where it jumped to the bullet and was carried towards the train.

    The junction didn¡¯t break apart at the blow. It didn¡¯t explode, or disintegrate, it just ceased to exist.

    As soon as the caboose was disconnected from the train its brakes automatically engaged, and the car slowly ground to a stop. The train itself continued forward for several long seconds before it too engaged the brakes, but between the increased mass and slight delay I had a little bit of time. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Hopping off my broom I strode towards the door of the rapidly slowing caboose. Jumping on the extended stairs as the car slid past me I placed my empty hand upon the door and let the abyss loose again.

    The interior of the car was fancy, plush furniture, covered with the kind of art I would have expected in a museum back east, a massive safe mounted to one wall, and even a full bar at the back. Unfortunately I didn¡¯t see the girls anywhere. The caboose was definitely far shorter than it should have been, suggesting there might be a hidden room at the back.

    The two men in the car had their weapons drawn when I stepped in, but they apparently weren¡¯t ready for the armored door to just dissolve. It didn¡¯t even seem like the first one even saw me, his gunhand was still hovering at his hip when I swept through the opening and unloaded two rounds into his chest. The other man managed to snap off a few hip shots, but he was no gunslinger. As the bullets smashed into the room around me I unleashed the last three rounds in my revolver. With so much incoming fire I didn¡¯t aim as well as I could have, and instead I walked the rounds up my opponent.

    The first round slammed into his knee, and before he could even begin to fall the second struck him in the pelvis, and the final in the chest. I tried to ignore the wet gurgling as I swapped weapons, and swept the rest of the room. Getting shot in the lungs was a slow, painful way to die.

    With the first half of the car cleared I stepped up to an armored wall that split the caboose in half. I couldn¡¯t make out a clear door, but that didn¡¯t matter that much. The void surged, consuming a large section of the wall, along with the still suffering man at my feet.

    Bad sign. I¡¯d only planned to target the wall, and the fact that it had lashed out meant I was close to losing control. I had to finish this quickly.

    The back room, in stark contrast to the front of the car, was little more than a steel box. Warding was etched into every single surface, and the back wall had half a dozen sets of shackles bolted to it.

    The girls screamed into their gags, and pushed themselves back against the wall, but I couldn¡¯t worry about them, not yet, because standing in the corner opposite me was something I never expected to see.

    Even though they had a ten gallon hat covering their features in shadow, I could easily make out the nearly featureless bronze colored mask covering their face. The eye holes were covered in a tinted glass, hiding any hint of their identity. Their brown long coat was left open, revealing a breastplate of the same metal, the Graves emblem shone on their breast, and half a dozen strange alchemical tools hanging off their belt.

    My brain struggled to process what I was seeing. The Witch Hunters were government agents, and it was illegal for them to contract to private individuals, so how could there be one here, in full Graves regalia.

    That miniscule pause cost me dearly. The Witch Hunter brought their pistol to bear unbelievably quickly, and unloaded a round right into my gut. The electrical round sent me tumbling to the ground, spasming in pain.

    ¡°Heretic,¡± the witch hunter hissed. The voice that drifted out from behind the mask was so distorted that I couldn¡¯t even make out if they were male or female. A single rough, gloved hand grabbed me roughly by the back of the head, and forced me to look them directly in the eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know what trick you used to destroy that wall, but by the time I¡¯m done with you, you¡¯ll be begging to share it with me.¡±

    Even with all the pain, and spasms, I managed to slap one of my hands against their arm. A small smile crossed my face. ¡°I¡¯ll share now,¡± I choked out before fully releasing the power within me. I don¡¯t think the hunter even had time to register what was happening before they, and their ward inscribed garb was consumed.

    The void lashed out at everything around me. Huge chunks of my longcoat were consumed, leaving massive gashes in the garment, my hat fell in two, and long sections of the walls and floors completely disappeared. Finally I felt power turn inward and consume both the bullet buried within me and the charge it was releasing into my body.

    With slightly less pain, and a little bit of clarity, I struggled to once again regain control. The void fought me, but I managed to press it deep down inside, and suppress it once again.

    Groaning in pain, and using my free hand to hold in my guts, I struggled to my feet and stumbled over to the girls. The older looking one, a girl with brown hair and matching hazel eyes stared at me in horror as I reached out for her shackles. She tried to pull away but the void still found its target, consuming the restraints down to the cuffs. The younger girl, who appeared to be part native, trembled but allowed me to perform the same process on her cuffs.

    ¡°Why are you helping us?¡± the older one asked as soon as she managed to loosen her gag.

    ¡°No time to talk,¡± I slurred out. I¡¯d been shot before, but the last time it happened I could nearly instantly recover. Not now. I was rapidly losing blood, and things were going fuzzy. ¡°Horse outside. Run before the reinforcements arrive.¡±

    Shoving my pistol into its holster I stumbled back into the front room, the girls a few steps behind. I nearly tumbled out of the front door, collapsing to my knees upon the rough ground. There was shouting in the distance, and alarms. The other men from the train would be here soon.

    ¡°What about you?¡± the younger girl asked.

    ¡°Got my broom, I¡¯ll be fine,¡± I muttered as I pulled myself to my feet, or at least I tried to. Strangely I didn¡¯t seem to have the strength to stand, even with one hand on my broom to help me.

    ¡°Cheyenne, let''s go!¡± the elder girl yelled over the sound of my hissing cat.

    ¡°But¡­¡± came the reply. I¡¯m sure there was more to it than that, but I didn¡¯t catch it. My vision was going black, and I pitched forward. I knew that collapsing here would be my end, but there was nothing I could do. The darkness took me.

 Chapter 6 - Melting Snows

    When I regained consciousness I was somewhere I didn¡¯t recognize. I was laying on a hide bed, in a small log cabin. There wasn¡¯t much around, just a rough wood table, some chairs, and a small chest at the end of the bed.

    As I was glancing around a small paw slammed into my forehead. ¡°Mow!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to get shot!¡± I said defensively, ¡°I was surprised by the fact that there was a fucking Witch Hunter watching over the girls. One with the Graves logo on their gear.¡±

    ¡°Murrrr.¡±

    ¡°I know that¡¯s impossible, that¡¯s why I was distracted,¡± I retorted. ¡°Where are we?¡±

    Peeling back the pelt that was draped over me I tried to sit up, only to be wracked by pain. Looking down I realized that someone had removed my shirt, but thankfully left my pants. I was just able to make out a thick linen bandage wrapped around my middle, covering my wound, before I collapsed back into bed.

    ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t be moving around,¡± a quiet voice said from the doorway. Turning my head, but keeping my body as still as possible, I could just make out a woman standing there. It wasn¡¯t until she shucked her light green cloak, and hanging it next to the door, that I got a good look at her. She was about my age, late twenties at the most, had frizzy red hair, freckles, and brilliant green eyes that practically glowed. A sign of magic.

    Kaylee instantly hopped down from my pillow and went over to brush up against the woman, occasionally nuzzling at the bottom of the basket in her hands.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure you¡¯d ever wake up,¡± the woman announced as she pulled the blankets off the windows, letting light into the tiny cabin.

    ¡°Where am I?¡± I asked cautiously. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re not with the Graves company¡­¡±

    She laughed, a clear bright sounding laugh, before turning towards me. ¡°No, I would never associate with that garbage, you¡¯re at the Melting Snows Coven.¡±

    I stared at her blankly. ¡°Where?¡±

    ¡°The Melting Snow coven. The girls brought you here a couple days ago, half dead on the back of a horse. They claimed you saved them from Graves, but collapsed on the way out. Sound familiar?¡±

    ¡°So far,¡± I said. I placed a hand against my abdomen, pressed against the wound, and forced myself to sit up. The woman took half a step forward, obviously trying to prevent me from straining myself, but she gave up before arriving at the bed.

    ¡°How long have I been out?¡± I asked, wincing at the pain.

    The woman sighed, and placed the basket she was carrying on the table, ¡°Three days.¡±

    Kaylee instantly jumped up on the table and stuck her head into the basket. She grabbed something in her mouth, then quickly disappeared under the bed, mewing happily.

    ¡°Well, I appreciate your help Ms¡­ but I should probably get out of your hair,¡± I declared, trying to struggle to my feet.Stolen novel; please report.

    The woman tsked and instantly pushed me back onto the bed. ¡°My name¡¯s Clara, and you¡¯re not going anywhere until you¡¯re much better. I can''t have you opening that wound up again and dropping dead just outside the coven.¡± She gently prodded the bandages, checking my wound. ¡°What exactly were you thinking, attacking the train like that? You must have known it was risky.¡±

    ¡°I had my reasons,¡± I replied quietly.

    As soon as she was done checking my bandage Clara stood up and checked on my shoulder. Before she could touch it I flinched back and placed a hand over the large, foot wide purple-blue blotchy patch of scarred skin. Clara gave me a disappointed look, but still backed off.

    ¡°You can¡¯t help me with that one, no one can,¡± I told her quietly.

    ¡°Is that what caused the void within you?¡± Clara asked casually.

    I turned violently towards her, pulling at my wound and nearly falling out of the bed. Clara just clicked her tongue and pushed me gently back onto the bed and started double checking the bandage.

    ¡°You know?¡± I asked in surprise.

    ¡°Of course I know, the entire coven knows. How could we not with the story those girls told, and the fact that your body rejects healing. Some of the others wanted to throw you out the instant you arrived, not everyone agreed. We don¡¯t know what you carry, only that it¡¯s dangerous,¡± Clara explained.

    Pulling a chair over to the side of the bed Clara sat down and looked me in the face. ¡°Although I don¡¯t believe you''re a diabolist, no demon worshipper would have risked their life for the kids, you¡¯re going to have to earn my trust before you¡¯re allowed out of here¡­ If you¡¯re allowed out of here,¡± she told me sternly. ¡°Now, I doubt you¡¯ll tell me about that wound, based upon how defensive you are about it, but how about you start by telling me something simpler. What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Zoey, Zoey Claiborne,¡± I answered quietly.

    ¡°And why did you come to Oregon? Don¡¯t tell me it was just on a whim.¡±

    I stared at Clara for a long moment, trying to figure out how much I should trust her, when Kaylee stuck her head out from under the bed, licking her chops. ¡°Mow!¡±

    ¡°You only trust her because she fed you for the last few days,¡± I growled at her.

    ¡°Mrrrrrrrrr¡­¡± she shot back angrily.

    ¡°You¡¯re familiar is quite loyal, it¡¯s been quite awhile since I¡¯ve seen such a strong bond,¡± Clara said, interrupting our argument. ¡°When you arrived she tried to protect your body, it¡¯s one of the reasons I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.¡±

    I glanced down at the tiny grey cat, who looked at me smugly, ¡°Meow!¡±

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll tell her,¡± I relented. Shifting slightly to relieve the pain in my side, and allow me to look Clara straight in the face, I told her, ¡°You¡¯re right, I didn¡¯t come here on a whim. A couple weeks ago I met a fortune teller who told me if I wanted to find my destiny I needed to head west, as far as I could go.¡±

    Clara raised an eyebrow. ¡°I assume it was a trustworthy reading¡­¡±

    ¡°She was no charlatan, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking. A well established, and well known soothsayer back east. Normally you would have had to book an appointment with her months in advance, but she sought me out. Insisted it was important.¡± I rubbed the back of one of my hands with the opposing thumb. ¡°I didn¡¯t have any other plans, so I trusted her words.¡±

    ¡°You were willing to drop everything, and follow her advice?¡± Clara asked.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t exactly have anything to drop,¡± I replied with a self-deprecating smile. ¡°I brought everything I own, and everything I care about with me on the train.¡±

    A sad ¡°Murr¡± echoed out from under the bed, and a small paw tapped me lightly on the back of the foot. I started to reach down and pet my cat, but the sharp pain in my side stopped that very quickly.

    ¡°I believe you,¡± Clara declared, pushing her chair back and walking over to the table. She grabbed the basket and placed it on the now open chair, within my easy reach. ¡°I brought some provisions for you. Since we can¡¯t mend that wound manually you¡¯ll have to eat, regain your strength, and recover naturally. I wouldn¡¯t recommend you get up, unless you want to reopen that wound of yours, but if you do please don¡¯t leave the area. There¡¯s an outhouse just a couple feet from the front door, but I wouldn¡¯t go further than that. If you do, I cannot guarantee that the coven¡¯s goodwill will continue. Got it?¡±

    I nodded meekly. ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Good. I need to go tell the others you¡¯re awake. If someone does come visit before I return I¡¯d be cautious, not everyone wants you here,¡± Clara warned. Grabbing her cloak, and throwing it around her shoulders the young woman stepped out the door and vanished into the woods outside the cabin.

    Kaylee stuck her head out from the bed again, and stared towards the door. ¡°Mew,¡± she declared.

    ¡°You¡¯re only sad she¡¯s leaving because she¡¯s been the one feeding you the last few days,¡± I told her as I pulled the basket closer, taking out a loaf of hard bread and water skin off the top. As I took a bite Kaylee took a swipe at the back of my foot to show her displeasure, but didn¡¯t put any effort into it. ¡°Even if she is nice, we shouldn¡¯t get comfortable. You know what happened back east, I have no doubt they''ll kick us out once I¡¯m mended.¡±

    Kaylee stepped out from beneath the bed and nuzzled my foot, allowing me to reach down and just barely scratch the top of her head. No matter what happened the two of us would find a way to survive. We always did.

 Chapter 7 - The Next Generation

    Despite the mewing complaints of my partner I managed to stand after several minutes of struggling. Although it probably wasn¡¯t good for my wound, I preferred to be mobile in case something happened. Or I needed to use the bathroom.

    Wandering around the room I found it as simple as it first appeared. A tiny log cabin in the middle of nowhere.

    It had probably been used as a storage shed before I arrived, considering how small it was and the fact it didn¡¯t have a fireplace for the winter. Considering the circumstances, I was lucky they went this far.

    Glancing out the window all I could see were thick woods. There wasn¡¯t a single landmark to let me know where I was, or which direction I¡¯d have to head to get out of here. Without that I¡¯d have to wander blindly and hope I found the edge of the woods before I starved to death. Not something I was willing to attempt, not now anyways.

    Once I¡¯d finished inspecting the area, I wandered over to the small chest at the end of the bed. Carefully crouching down, doing my best to avoid aggravating my wound, I flipped it open. Laying inside was my clothing, removed from my carpet bag, laundered and nicely folded. The bag itself was missing, as was the rest of my gear, but I couldn¡¯t exactly blame them for that. Leaving the weapons, or broom, of a witch you didn¡¯t trust within easy reach was probably the stupidest move anyone could make.

    Grabbing one of my loosest shirts, I stood up and struggled to put the thing on. Raising my arms too high pulled at the gunshot, so I needed to put my right arm through, drape the shirt over my head, then carefully maneuver my left arm through the other side. I somehow managed to do it without aggravating my wound too much.

    With that ordeal dealt with I grabbed the basket Clara had left, brought it over to the table, and slumped into one of the chairs. I regretted not taking it slower when a spike of pain went through my side. I¡¯d have to be more careful going forward.

    Kaylee jumped up on the table as I started digging through the small basket, obviously looking for a treat.

    ¡°Did you explore much while I was out?¡± I asked quietly as I dug through the basket.

    She quickly poked her head inside, before giving me an answer. ¡°Mow.¡±

    ¡°Detection charms, huh? Guess they really don¡¯t want us to poke around too much.¡± Fishing a small piece of some sort of dried meat out of the basket I passed it over to her before grabbing a piece for myself.

    While the two of us sat there, quietly enjoying our snack, there was a disturbance outside. When Clara had arrived, and disappeared, she had done so without disturbing a single leaf. Whoever, or whatever, was coming to visit was nowhere near as subtle.

    Suppressing a groan of pain I pushed down on the table and used it as leverage so I could stagger to my feet. Quietly I crept over to the window and peeked out.

    ¡°Cheyenne, she''s dangerous, we should wait until the elders say we can visit,¡± one voice whispered.

    ¡°She is not! If she wanted to hurt us she would have done it on the train. We should at least say thank you,¡± a second, younger voice whispered back.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    I rolled my eyes and leaned out of the window, staring down at the two young girls hiding just a few feet away. ¡°Small tip. If you want to sneak up on someone it¡¯s best to have your arguments before you¡¯re close enough for the target to hear you.¡±

    The girls jumped, staring at me wide eyed. They looked better than the last time I saw them, which wasn¡¯t surprising since they¡¯d had several days to recover from their imprisonment. As they clutched each other¡¯s hands I noticed they still had the shackle cuffs hanging off their wrists. Now that I had a chance to get a good look at them I realized the younger couldn¡¯t be much older than twelve, and the older around fourteen.

    ¡°Why do you still have those on?¡± I asked, pointing at the bronze colored restraints.

    ¡°Because the metal disrupts magic, and no one in the coven knows how to pick locks, so we need to wait until they get some tools to cut them off,¡± the younger, half native girl announced, before the elder shushed her.

    ¡°Well, if you do decide you do want to come in, and thank me for saving you, I can remove them for you. No rush though,¡± I told them as I slipped back inside. I managed to slowly shuffle over to the table and lower myself back into the chair before the two actually made their decision.

    They knocked politely on the door, and waited for me to respond. ¡°Come in,¡± I yelled at the closed door.

    ¡°Hello miss,¡± the younger chirped as she came and stood before the table, she was practically dragging the older girl behind her. ¡°My name is Cheyenne, and this is Dakota, we wanted to come here today and thank you for saving us the other day.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow, Dakota looked more terrified than thankful, but I didn¡¯t mention it. ¡°You¡¯re welcome. How did you two get captured anyways? You must have been pretty far from the coven for that posse to feel safe enough to snatch you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a long story,¡± Dakota said slowly.

    ¡°Well you can tell me while I take off your cuffs,¡± I said as I used one foot to push the chair opposite me away from the table. ¡°Sit down, and put your arm on the table.¡±

    Cheyenne slipped right into the chair, and slid both of her hands to the middle of the table. She kicked her legs lightly, and put on a wide smile while she waited for me to go to work.

    ¡°So, the reason you were outside the coven?¡± I prompted as I leaned forward and grabbed the first restraint between two fingers. Void arced between my fingers for a second, and the metal fell away.

    Dakota licked her lips as she watched me work. ¡°The truth is, we went looking for medicinal ingredients for my grandmother. She¡¯s been sick for a while now, and the coven was starting to run low on her medicine. Cheyenne convinced me that if we went out, we¡¯d be able to gather some, but those assholes grabbed us before we could.¡±

    Cheyenne¡¯s second shackle popped open, causing the girl to whoop in joy before popping out of the chair and making room for Dakota. ¡°You don¡¯t have to berate us about it, the rest of the coven has been telling us off ever since we got back,¡± she said dispondantly.

    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± I promised her quietly as I severed the first cuff. ¡°Do you know what your grandmother has?¡±

    ¡°No one does! She just keeps getting worse and we can¡¯t do anything about it,¡± the girl sniffed.

    ¡°And magic can only create, not destroy,¡± I said quietly as I removed the final binding. ¡°So using magic to try and cure her will only make her worse.¡±

    Dakota pulled her hand back the instant I was done and rubbed her wrist. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± I replied, taking the stack of shackles off the table and casually tossing them into one corner. ¡°I appreciate you coming out to visit, but you should probably get back. If someone comes looking for you, and discovers you¡¯ve disappeared so soon after getting back, they¡¯ll panic.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense! Thanks again, miss,¡± she said, bobbing her head as she backed towards the door.

    ¡°My name¡¯s Zoey,¡± I told them. ¡°Come again, but make sure you tell the others where you¡¯re going next time.¡±

    The younger girl bobbed her head again, before popping out the door. Dakota started following her out, but paused in the door and looked back, ¡°Thank you for rescuing us.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± I called as she slipped out the door.

    ¡°Mup!¡± Kaylee declared as she jumped up on the chair the girls were sitting in before putting her front paws on the table.

    ¡°Even if the void could possibly help, I¡¯m not going to tell that girl that,¡± I hissed at my cat.

    Kaylee squinted her eyes angrily. ¡°Mow!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never tried anything close to that difficult before, and even if I was willing the coven would never allow me to try. Best to not give her false hope,¡± I growled. ¡°Besides, we¡¯re probably going to be stuck here for a while, it¡¯s probably best to avoid killing any coven members while we¡¯re here.¡±

    My cat continued to stare at me angrily, but didn¡¯t complain further.

 Chapter 8 - Green Pastures

    The next few days crawled by. I spent most of my time pacing around the tiny cabin, talking to my cat, just waiting for Clara to stop by for her daily visit. She¡¯d pop in, drop off some supplies, ask me a few probing questions about my past, then disappear again.

    On the third day I asked her for something to read, anything to keep the boredom from setting in, and she¡¯d promised to look into it. I¡¯d also cheekily asked her for my guns and broom back, just to see what she¡¯d say. The cold, death stare she gave shot the cocky grin right off my face.

    ¡°If and when we trust you,¡± she hissed before disappearing again.

    I was still waiting on those books several days later. Guess they really didn¡¯t like me pushing my boundaries.

    Even though I was going stir crazy in the cabin, it wasn¡¯t all bad. I realized, after a couple days, that my wound was closing much quicker than it should have. It was far from the nearly instantaneous healing that I was used to when I had access to my magic, but at least I wouldn¡¯t have to suffer through weeks, or months, of recovery time like most people.

    A tiny part of me hoped that meant my magic hadn¡¯t completely abandoned me, that part of it was still buried deep inside. A much larger part of me was just happy I didn¡¯t have to suffer in pain every time I went to the outhouse.

    After about a week of short, relatively unproductive visits, Clara appeared in front of my shelter carrying not a basket, but my duster.

    ¡°The elders wish to meet you,¡± she announced as she swept inside, her forest green cloak flowing around her. She strode to the middle of the room and laid my duster, and hat, in the middle of the table in front of me.

    My eyes widened in shock, and I slowly reached out and checked the garments. The last time I saw them they had been ripped in pieces, ravaged by my power. Now they were whole again. I glanced up at Clara in surprise.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we borrowed them for a while in order to perform some tests. We¡¯ve never seen a case like yours, and felt the need to be cautious,¡± she explained as she ran a hand over the undamaged coat.

    ¡°It took a few days for us to disrupt the residual power, but once it was done, restoring them was a simple matter. Now the elders believe we should be able to counter, or at least contain you if you try and act out. Now come, the others are waiting.¡± She twirled in place, causing her cloak to billow out around her, and took a few steps towards the door before pausing. ¡°The cat too.¡±

    Kaylee stared at her, eyes narrowed and tail flicking, but didn¡¯t say anything.

    After swiftly donning my coat, and grabbing my hat I crouched down, offering my shoulder to Kaylee. She wandered over and paused next to my ear to whisper, ¡°Merow,¡± before climbing up.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what this is about, but I don¡¯t think we¡¯re in danger. If they wanted to kill us, they could have done it already.¡± I whispered back, as the cat settled around my neck.

    Gently setting my hat into place upon my head, I hooked my thumbs on my belt before wandering out of the small cabin, closing the door behind me.

    Clara looked me over, then nodded, before turning and striding silently into the woods, gesturing for me to follow. The trees in this area were relatively thick, but the forest floor was fairly clean. Most of the deadwood in the area had probably been harvested for firewood by the coven, and the decay of the deadfall accelerated to provide nutrients for the trees. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    After just a few steps I noticed a number of charms, woven out wood, string, bones and feathers, hanging from a few trees. They were actually fairly well hidden, but there were so many, enough to create a full perimeter around the cabin, that it was impossible to find them all.

    Clara ignored them, striding through the line and down a barely discernible path, and I followed. Although I didn¡¯t feel anything, Kaylee shuddered as we broke the perimeter. It was only then that Clara paused.

    ¡°You could have broken the perimeter at any time, couldn¡¯t you?¡± she asked, before continuing forward.

    ¡°Probably, but that would have been like spitting on the coven¡¯s hospitality,¡± I replied, casually.

    ¡°Mer!¡± Kaylee interjected, a smirk on her face.

    I chuckled. ¡°Of course we did consider it, briefly, but dismissed the idea when I realized you lot had my guns.¡±

    Clara stumbled slightly, but tried to pretend she wasn¡¯t disturbed by that comment.

    ¡°That¡¯s a joke by the way,¡± I assured her.

    The three of us continued through the trees for several minutes before emerging into an enormous valley. The coven was obviously thriving here. Several different types of livestock wandered the area, barely bound by their enormous pens, and there were dozens of fields, each with a different type of crop.

    Even Kaylee let out a quiet ¡°purr¡± of awe.

    Clara let the two of us take in the sight for a minute before prompting us forward again, ¡°This way.¡±

    We followed her around the side of the valley, which consisted of some fairly rocky hills with fairly steep faces, and nestled next to the tallest, and steepest cliff, was a village. Just on the south side of the village was a large stream, with a well worn wooden bridge. Beyond it was about a dozen houses, mostly traditional log construction, sod and stone construction, with a couple larger buildings for communal cooking and storage. It was the very definition of quaint.

    The largest, and most impressive building though, was pressed right against the cliff face. It wasn¡¯t as much constructed, as it was grown. There were dozens of trees planted in a circle, all of which grew up, and then towards the center of the ¡®structure¡¯. Entwined with these trees were a thick vine-like growth which was woven into a living, thatch-like wall. The entire building was slightly elevated from the rest of the village, and surrounded by small stone wall terrace gardens filled with flowers and herbs.

    Even with magic to accelerate and direct the growth, it must have taken the coven a couple years to complete the hall.

    As we stepped down the rough stone path by the cliff face, heading into the village I saw a number of people look up at us, before rushing away, disappearing into the nearby buildings.

    Kaylee pinned her ears back, and hissed at the commotion.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I didn¡¯t expect to get a warm welcome when I arrived,¡± I whispered, as I reached up and scratched the cat under the chin.

    ¡°Forgive my sisters and brothers, they¡¯re not as used to dealing with outsiders as I am, and are extremely cautious around visitors,¡± Clara said quietly.

    I scoffed. ¡°Even though I appreciate you trying to spare my feelings, or make this situation less awkward, we both know that¡¯s not why they¡¯re running. By now the girls have probably told their story to anyone and everyone that would listen, and now most of the coven is afraid of me.¡±

    I paused, glancing at a door cracked just enough to see out, and as soon as I did it slammed closed. ¡°I¡¯m used to it.¡±

    We slipped into the village, weaving between buildings on the now abandoned street. Passing by a random window, I felt a power gather in the air around me like a lightning building. Clara turned, eyes wide, hand raised as she summoned her own power in response.

    I casually waved my hand in the air, let a very minute amount of power rise to the surface, and the feeling dissipated.

    Kaylee hissed again, clawing angrily at the window as the shutters slammed closed.

    ¡°Just ignore them, it¡¯s for the best,¡± I whispered to the cat.

    Clara just stood there, hand half raised, studying my expression, or lack thereof. Several seconds passed before she finally spoke, ¡°I apologize, that should never have happened. You are a guest here, and should be treated as such.¡±

    She smiled a bitter smile and glanced at the closed shutters, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to have a talk with my brother about this later.¡±

    I stepped forward, and placed a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, no harm done.¡±

    Kaylee growled, obviously not agreeing with my assessment, but I ignored her. ¡°Don¡¯t we have a meeting to get to?¡±

    The woman nodded slowly, then turned and set off towards the central hall once again. Once we made it through the village the three of us climbed the stone stairs, past the various terrace gardens until we reached the structure. There was a massive tree arch, with weeping willow leaves draped down like a curtain marking the entrance.

    This is where Clara stopped. ¡°The elders wish to see you alone, I will wait outside until you''re finished.¡±

    ¡°Any words of advice before I go in?¡± I asked, as I gently parted the leaves.

    ¡°Answer truthfully, and do not make the crone mad. She is far more powerful than the rest of the elders combined,¡± Clara answered quietly.

    ¡°Grand,¡± I mumbled. I took a deep breath, gathered what courage I could, and stepped inside.¡±Here we go.¡±

 Chapter 9 - The Elders

    It took a few seconds for my eyes to adapt to the darkness within the hall, and when they finally did, I still didn¡¯t see much. The hall was draped in gloom, dark, almost unnatural. There were no lamps or torches, just the faint outline of the trees that acted as interior pillars.

    The entire hall was filled with an aromatic smoke, which flowed from somewhere deeper in the building. I could make out hints of lavender, rose and mullein, among the dozen or so scents. If they were for a spell, I certainly couldn¡¯t identify the purpose.

    There was only one area with a significant amount of light, near the back, the sunlight had penetrated the thick canopy and created a natural spotlight. Without any other visible landmarks, I tentatively made my way back towards the light.

    Kaylee glanced around the room, trembling slightly as she did, before she leaned right next to my ear. ¡°Meer¡±

    ¡°I figured. It¡¯s probably some sort of test. Although, I¡¯m not sure why the honored elders would bother with such games and theatrics,¡± I replied as I stepped into the beam of light. I didn¡¯t bother whispering, I wanted the others in the room to hear me.

    A quiet, reedy feminine chuckle echoed out of the darkness right in front of me. Whoever it was couldn¡¯t have been more than a couple feet in front of me, but couldn¡¯t see them. ¡°True, enough of this.¡±

    Several braziers simultaneously sparked to life, driving back the gloom and illuminating the space. Arranged before me, in a loose semi-circle, were three women, on slightly raised dias.

    The one on my left appeared to be the youngest, with fair skin, sharp features, and dark hair pulled back into a single ponytail. Even though she appeared to be in her late thirties I knew that strong witches could slow the aging process. The woman didn¡¯t even try to conceal her disdain for me, staring at me with disgust plain on her face.

    Opposite her was a matronly woman. She had curly brown hair, pulled up into a pair of braids. Even sitting down I could tell she was tall, really tall. She was wearing a sleeveless shirt that showed off her well toned muscles covered in dozens of scars. A wide, confident grin on her face, she watched me with interest.

    Between them, sitting directly in front of me, was the third and last member of this little council. Her long grey hair was pulled back into a bun, giving me a good look at her heavily weathered face. She looked old, late eighties or early nineties, but I knew she was much, much older. Even though my magical senses had been heavily dulled after losing my powers, I could feel how powerful she was. Magic rolled off her in waves, so much so that most people would find standing in front of her suffocating.

    Kaylee¡¯s trembling increased, and her breathing started becoming ragged, so I released a tiny bit of my power around her. It wasn¡¯t enough to completely negate the magic, but enough to dull the sensation of my familiar. After a few seconds, Kaylee¡¯s trembling stopped.

    The smoke around me stirred, and I caught the faintest whisper ¡°Interesting.¡±

    I took a deep breath, removed my hat, and bowed. ¡°Greetings honored elders, my name is Zoey Claiborne. I was told you wished to speak with me.¡±

    ¡°We wanted to see what kind of abomination you were for ourselves,¡± the black haired woman hissed.

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°We wanted to evaluate you for ourselves,¡± the brown haired amazon corrected, shooting a disappointed gaze at her colleague. ¡°And since our guest has shown us the proper respect, we should do the same.¡±

    The large woman placed one arm across her chest and did a half bow. ¡°I am Thyra Alfson, these are my companions, Olivia Conrad,¡± she said gesturing towards the black haired woman, ¡°and Lady Amelia Dyer.¡±

    I nodded respectfully to each woman as they were introduced, but my eyes remained upon Lady Amelia the longest. She was sitting cross legged, the elbow of one arm resting on her knee, hand propping up her head. The old woman barely moved, but her eyes were sharp, constantly evaluating me.

    ¡°We called you here today to decide if we can trust you enough to allow you free reign of the grounds, with an escort of course,¡± Thyra explained.

    ¡°Or whether to eliminate you before you become an issue,¡± Olivia hissed.

    ¡°You could just give me my stuff, and let me leave instead,¡± I interjected the instant Oliva was finished. The woman reared back at the idea, snarling.

    She leaned forward, probably to berate me, but before she could a Lady Amelia spoke. Despite speaking at little more than a whisper her voice filled the space. ¡°Do you really wish to leave?¡±

    I glanced back at the old woman. It didn¡¯t look like she had moved at all, had she even opened her mouth? Our eyes met for just a second, before I looked away. I didn¡¯t dare say what was in my heart.

    Thyra sat up straight. ¡°We¡¯ve asked Clara to find out more about you, but you¡¯ve dodged her question and only revealed the bare minimum. If you want our trust, that ends now.¡±

    Oliva reached to the side and grabbed a handful of herbs out of a bowl at her side, crushing them between her hands, before throwing them into the brazer at her side. The fire flared for a moment, then the smoke in the room began to swirl around me.

    ¡°You know that won¡¯t do anything to me, right?¡± I mumbled.

    ¡°But ceremony must be observed,¡± Thyra intoned. As the smoke swirled slowly around me Oliva leaned forward. ¡°What coven do you belong to?¡±

    I shot the disagreeable woman a dirty look. ¡°I don¡¯t belong to any coven, not anymore.¡±

    ¡°Then where did you come from? Why did you leave?¡± Thyra asked.

    Closing my eye, and swallowing a mouthful of saliva to moisten my throat, and said a single word. ¡°Roanoke.¡±

    Oliva gasped. ¡°You lie!¡±

    ¡°I do not,¡± I snarled. For just a moment I lost control of my power, it surged out destroying the spell around me and consuming the smoke. As soon as I gained control again the smoke flowed back in, settling at my feet.

    ¡°I was exiled,¡± I said quietly after several seconds.

    ¡°Roanoke is an extremely powerful, and private coven. What sort of hedonistic acts did you perform in order to get exiled?¡± Oliva asked, leaning in closer.

    ¡°My fucking job,¡± I spat out. I really didn¡¯t want to cry here, but I could feel the wetness on my cheeks. ¡°My friends and I protected the coven from a dangerous spirit. They died fighting it, and I was permanently crippled in the fight. It took my magic and left this¡­ emptiness in me! You know what I got for saving the coven? The people I¡¯d grown up with? Fear, suspicion and finally exile. That¡¯s why I left.¡±

    Oliva reeled back, she suddenly seemed to have a problem looking me in the eyes. I wiped my eyes, and considered just walking out. Kaylee nuzzled my cheek.

    ¡°Why did you come all this way? What did you have to gain from the trip?¡± Thyra asked tersely.

    I glanced towards the woman, ¡°I was told if I wanted to find my purpose I needed to follow the iron rails to their end. Only in the frontier would I find what I needed.¡±

    Neither Thyra or Oliva seemed to be able to look directly at me anymore, so I threw up my hands. ¡°Any more wounds you want to rip open, or can I go?¡± I asked sarcastically.

    ¡°Only one,¡± Lady Amilia announced. I turned towards her, and found her sitting up straight, her deep black eyes bored into my own.

    ¡°The spirit you fought, name it,¡± she intoned.

    I shuddered, the memories which haunted me came rushing back. The blood of my friends, painting the snow red. The monstrous spirit which casually went from one person to the next, devouring people alive, while shrugging off the very best we could throw at it. My last moments of consciousness as it grabbed me, and brought my shoulder to its mouth. ¡°A Wendigo. Spirit of hunger, and cold,¡± I whispered.

    The old woman nodded once, then returned to her previous position.

    ¡°I¡¯m done with this,¡± I muttered, pivoting on the spot before heading back towards the entrance.

    ¡°Do whatever you want, you all made your decisions before I walked in here anyways,¡± I growled. As I pushed open the living curtain I was blinded for a moment, my eyes taking time to adapt to the bright sun. When they finally did, I found Clara staring at me.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked quietly.

    I probably looked like a mess right now, so rather than saying anything I put my hat back on and pulled it low. ¡°Just take me back. We¡¯re done here.¡±

 Chapter 10 - Freedom

    Clara must have sensed that I didn¡¯t want to talk on the way back, because she didn¡¯t try to strike up on a conversation as we made our way back. As soon as we arrived I stepped inside and practically slammed the door in her face.

    She didn¡¯t really deserve that, but I wasn¡¯t really in the right mental, or emotional, space to deal with her. Or anyone else for that matter.

    Instead I carefully removed Kaylee from my shoulder, placing her on the table before throwing my hat and coat on the floor and collapsing face down on the cot.

    ¡°Mur?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not ok,¡± I whispered. ¡°Even though I knew they wanted to know more about my past, and I tried to prepare myself mentally, it really didn¡¯t make it any easier. Guess the memories are still a little raw.¡±

    I rolled over to my side, and pulled the hide blanket up over me. The meeting with the coven elders had exhausted me. I didn¡¯t feel like crying, I had decided months ago that tears wouldn¡¯t solve anything, I was just tired. Of everything.

    Kaylee jumped off the table and up onto the bed. For a minute I thought she would berate me, again, for the situation, but instead she just crawled under the pelt, curled up next to my chest, and started purring.

    That did more for my emotions than any words could and I cuddled my cat under the cover, slowly feeling the stress and pain drain out of me until I finally fell asleep.

    I managed to get my emotions back under control by the next morning, which was good because Clara showed up exceptionally early. She swept in the door, cloak billowing behind her like usual, and looked me over like a worried parent. ¡°Considering how you were acting yesterday, and what Lady Thyra told me this morning, I half expected you to have run away during the night,¡± she told me quietly.

    ¡°I considered it,¡± I admitted. ¡°But running away without my weapons, horse, or any supplies seemed like a stupid idea.¡±

    I pulled out one of the chairs and sat heavily at the table before looking Clara over. ¡°How can I help you today? You don¡¯t seem to have brought the basket, so it¡¯s not a supply run.¡±

    ¡°The elders have already made a decision,¡± Clara declared quietly.

    ¡°Wonderful. Were they so insulted by my manners that they sent you to retrieve my head?¡± I asked, half sarcastically.

    Clara shook her head. ¡°After hearing about your background, and after evaluating your previous actions, they¡¯ve decided to give you free reign of the coven, as long as I¡¯m around to escort you. The other coven members have been asked to treat you with respect, but are not required to interact with you.¡±

    ¡°When you¡¯re escorting me,¡± I repeated flatly.

    ¡°If you gain the trust of the other coven members you may be allowed to move around unescorted later,¡± Clara clarified. ¡°If you decide you want to leave, I¡¯ll escort you to the edge of the coven¡¯s lands, return your horse, guns and broom, then give you enough supplies to reach the nearest non-Graves aligned town.¡±

    ¡°What if I want to stick around but still want my pistols?¡± I asked.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Clara just gave me a disappointed look, and shook her head.

    ¡°Why not? It¡¯s not like a pistol bullet is much of a threat to a full blooded witch,¡± I pouted.

    ¡°The girls already told us what you¡¯re capable of when you¡¯re unarmed, no one wants to risk giving you a weapon right now. If you gain the trust of the others, we¡¯ll consider it.¡±

    I bit my lip. ¡°What if I decide to say for now, and see things aren¡¯t working out?¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll still escort you to the end of our territory, and return your equipment to you before you leave. Assuming you didn¡¯t do anything to upset the coven before you leave,¡± Clara explained.

    I glanced back at Kaylee, who was grooming herself on my cot. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    The grey cat paused, and looked up at me. ¡°Meow.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, right,¡± I mumbled before turning back towards Clara. ¡°Is there anyone in the coven that is actually interested in actually meeting me, or giving me a chance?¡±

    ¡°Mr and Mrs Hudson, who run the kitchen, and are Cheyenne¡¯s parents and Mrs Clayton, who is Daytona¡¯s grandmother and our resident alchemist,¡± Clara said. ¡°They all want to talk to you at least once, whether or not you decide to stay.¡±

    I huffed. ¡°More than I expected.¡±

    Kaylee hopped off the bed, ran over to the corner of the room and grabbed my hat before hopping up on the table. Spitting the hat out in my hands she looked up at my face. ¡°Murrr.¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah,¡± I grumbled as I snatched the black hat and placed it on my head. ¡°I guess we can stick around long enough to see what they want to say.¡±

    The cat looked up at me with a wry smile. ¡°Mow.¡±

    ¡°Shut up and jump on,¡± I whispered to the smug feline.

    As soon as Kaylee settled around my neck I stood up and moved towards the door. ¡°Shall we go?¡± I asked Clara.

    The red haired woman nodded briefly before pushing the door open and letting me pass through first. Now that I¡¯d made the trip once, I could easily make out the path back. It wasn¡¯t exactly used a ton, but often enough to create a path.

    ¡°So, what exactly was that shed used for before I arrived?¡± I asked Clara as we made our way back down the path.

    ¡°Isolating sick patients from the rest of the coven,¡± the red haired woman said, without looking at me.

    I turned to stare at her. ¡°You dumped me in the plague house?¡± I asked in disbelief.

    ¡°We cleanse it properly after each patient,¡± Clara tsked, ¡°and besides, you were a sick patient when you arrived.¡±

    ¡°Not that kind of sick though,¡± I grumbled.

    Kaylee placed a paw against my cheek. ¡°Mer!¡±

    ¡°Yes yes, they did save my life, and I have no right to complain,¡± I begrudgingly agreed.

    Out of the corner of my eye I caught Clara grinning our way, which brought a question to mind.

    ¡°So do you have a familiar?¡± I asked as we continued forward.

    Clara nodded slightly, ¡°I do. Corrin, who¡¯s a raven. If I¡¯m not planning to cast magic she likes to fly free, and she only really returns in the evening, when it¡¯s dinner time.¡±

    I glanced over at Kaylee, who was lying lazily around my neck.  ¡°A little bit of a glutton huh? I know how that is,¡± I grumbled.

    The cat reached back and smacked me on the side of the head. ¡°Hit me all you want, you know it¡¯s true.¡±

    Clara giggled, which caused me to glance towards her again. She¡¯d been extremely tense, and a bit stand-offish when I saw her before, so seeing her more relaxed was a little off putting. Just as we were about to reach the edge of the forest Clara took a hard left and followed a much more well established path.

    I hesitated to follow her. ¡°Isn¡¯t the village that way?¡± I asked, gesturing towards the village.

    ¡°It is, but I thought you wanted to talk to the Hudsons, and Claytons. If so, we need to make a detour,¡± Clara explained. I hesitated just a moment before following her.

    The path wound around the rough hills around the back of the Coven, slowly working higher and higher. I was in pretty good shape, but even I was starting to feel winded after a couple minutes. ¡°Why are we meeting them so far out of town?¡± I asked suspiciously.

    ¡°Annabelle, that is Mrs Clayton, likes to live closer to nature,¡± Clara explained.

    ¡°Maybe she just doesn¡¯t like visitors,¡± I grumbled as I climbed the last few rough steps and made my way onto a rocky plateau. As soon as I stepped onto the top, I stopped, just for a moment. All around us was a massive, immaculate herb garden. The gardens in town had a wide range of commonly used herbs, but this area had some extremely rare and esoteric species. While we walked through them, heading towards a sturdy two story wooden cabin with stone foundations, I had to stop a couple times. My herbal knowledge wasn¡¯t all encompassing, but I knew a bit, and there were some species here I¡¯d only read about. Herbs that were supposed to only exist in other countries, or climates. It was astonishing that anyone was able to keep them alive here, never mind getting them to thrive.

    Clara arrived at the door first, and politely knocked. It took a minute or so before I heard someone moving around inside. When the door was finally pulled open I had to take a step back, because the woman was the splitting image of Lady Dyer.

    She smiled at me sweetly, ¡°Greetings dear, I¡¯m Annabelle Clayton. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡±

 Chapter 11 - Theatrics

    Annabelle stepped back, allowing Clara and I to enter, before closing the door behind us.

    I marveled at her small home. The front area was fairly normal, a sitting area, kitchen and dining area, but the back was something else entirely.

    In the rear of the cabin was an alchemy laboratory that rivaled any which I had seen back east. The walls were absolutely covered in shelves containing glass jars containing hundreds of different animal parts, herbs and minerals. Across from them was an equally stuffed shelf full of premade unguents, pills and potions. The back contained heavy tables topped with different alchemy devices, beakers and glass work I never would have expected to see this far out in the wilderness. Most impressive was, between it all was a massive copper boiler suspended above a fire pit by four heavy legs. Copper tubing spiralled out the top before connecting to the alchemy tools at the back of the room.

    ¡°Come in, come in, sit down,¡± Anabelle said, directing us towards the sitting area. A smile on her weathered face. ¡°Would you like a cup of tea?¡±

    She slowly hobbled towards the kitchen, hunched over, leaning heavily on a cane, breathing heavily. A large black shawl hung over the shoulders of her rich brown robe.

    ¡°No thank you, ma¡¯am,¡± I politely declined, before sitting on a comfortable wooden chair. ¡°You probably already know who I am, but I feel like I should introduce myself. My name¡¯s Zoey Claiborne, and I was told you wanted to speak to me.¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± Anabelle declared as she busied herself at the stove. ¡°I wanted to thank you, for saving my granddaughter¡¯s life, but unfortunately my sister and the rest of the council decided you had to stay locked up in that shed, until today. Too far for this frail old lady to walk.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± I asked suspiciously.

    She turned towards me, an impish grin on her face. ¡°You think there¡¯s more?¡±

    Kaylee huffed, even she could see through this charade.

    I sighed. ¡°Yes. Why else would you be hobbling around, pretending to be half crippled when you¡¯re perfectly fine.¡±

    Annabelle¡¯s smile widened, she threw off the shawl and stood up straight, returning her ¡®walking stick¡¯ to the pile of kindling next to the stove. ¡°What gave me away?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the coven¡¯s alchemist, and have to work with all that equipment in the back, something that would be very difficult for someone as crippled as you pretended to be. In addition, if you were that crippled you would have moved closer to town for the convenience, and not be out here in the middle of nowhere.¡±

    ¡°Mow¡±

    ¡°And we could hear you running about trying to get your disguise together,¡± I admitted after Kaylee prompted me.

    My cat turned an accusatory eye towards Clara, who was sitting a couple chairs away, and the woman immediately threw up her hands. ¡°She does this for all new arrivals, and made me promise not to tell you ahead of time.¡±

    ¡°So why the theatre? Trying to judge whether I¡¯m dangerous or not, like the rest of the council?¡± I asked tiredly.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°Heavens no. If you were dangerous you wouldn¡¯t have saved Dakota and Cheyanne, I was certain about that the instant I first saw you. What I really wanted to do was judge your character,¡± Annabelle admitted as she set two porcelain cups on the table, one in front of Clara and another in front of herself. ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want any?¡±

    I nodded.

    ¡°Suit yourself,¡± the woman said before picking up her cup and taking a tiny sip. ¡°I do appreciate you saving Dakota, that was no lie, but I¡¯m sure after my little performance you have questions. Ask!¡±

    I glanced around. ¡°Does Dakota live here with you? Is she here?¡±

    The old woman sighed exaggeratedly. ¡°She does, and she¡¯s not. My favorite little helper lives upstairs, and when she¡¯s not helping me prepare she usually heads into town to see Cheyanne. It¡¯s unfortunate, but since we¡¯re such a small coven she only has one friend her own age.¡±

    She took another sip, eyes locked on me, eyebrows raised expectantly. I stared back at her, trying to decide what to ask next.

    ¡°You said this was some sort of judge of character? How did I do?¡± I finally asked.

    ¡°It was. Seeing how people would treat you when you¡¯re old and crippled tells you a lot about a person. Do they treat you like a normal person, or an invalid? Do they treat you with false kindness, or do they actually care?¡± Annabelle explained.

    ¡°And me?¡± I asked.

    ¡°You, my dear, are straight forward. You speak your mind and don¡¯t mince your words. I¡¯ve had a number of people suspect I¡¯m acting, and hold back on the off chance they¡¯re wrong, but you¡¯re the first one in a long time that called me out right away.¡±Annabelle smiled, leaned back in her chair. She took out a long pipe and lit it, filling the place with thick medicinal smoke. ¡°Anything else?¡±

    I glanced at the pipe, causing the old woman to raise an eyebrow, but didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°I don¡¯t have any more questions really, but I¡¯d appreciate it if you could tell me about the coven, or maybe why the Graves company is taking your people?¡±

    ¡°If you want to know about those Graves bastards, Thyra is the one you should talk to. She has the most knowledge, and experience, on the subject.¡± She shook her head. ¡°As for the coven, sure, I can tell you a bit.¡°

    ¡°Twenty years ago Amillia and I left our previous coven, which had grown too large to properly sustain. We gathered a bunch of young people who wanted a new start and headed as far into the frontier as we could. Once we saw this place we knew it would be the perfect place to settle down. We made deals with the natives, provided them with cloth and grains in exchange for meat and furs. Thought we¡¯d be able to live peacefully out here for the rest of our days.¡±

    Annabelle took a long draw on her pipe. ¡°We had no idea that within a couple decades someone would lay a railway line clear across the country before stopping right on our doorstep. It would have been nice to get access to some new goods, but unfortunately that town is as backwards as they come. We¡¯ve realized it¡¯s better to go nowhere near it.¡±

    ¡°You can say that again,¡± I mumbled under my breath.

    ¡°Other than that? Not much to say. We¡¯ve picked up a few strays over the years, but we keep to ourselves. Most of the others don¡¯t like visitors. They may be suspicious of you at first, but they¡¯ll warm up to you in time.¡±

    ¡°I doubt that,¡± I told her, ¡°but we¡¯ll see.¡±

    ¡°You think I¡¯m wrong?¡± Annabelle asked, raising an eyebrow.

    ¡°I¡¯ve learned that people fear what they don¡¯t know, and not to get my hopes up,¡± I replied, trying my best not to be disheartened.

    Annabelle stared at me for several long seconds, puffing on her pipe the entire time, before placing the pipe carefully on the table and standing up. Drawing herself to her full height, she squared up and looked at me. ¡°You listen here. Even if your powers are unconventional, doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re evil or wrong. There are many types of magic. Beside the natural magic of witches, there¡¯s the spiritual magic of the natives, the divination of the gypsies, the vile magic of diabolists, the protective power of witch hunters. Those are only the most prevalent uses, there are thousands of other, minor types of practitioners around the world. Having a strange power doesn¡¯t make you evil, a jinx, or anything else. It just makes you different.¡± She huffed. ¡°Your last coven should have realized that a long time ago, the backwards numpties.¡±

    ¡°You do realize I came from one of the strongest covens on the east coast, right?¡± I asked with a slight smile.

    ¡°Large and powerful doesn¡¯t always equate to wise, as they¡¯ve proved here.¡± Her speech done Annabelle sat back down and once again grabbed her pipe. This time with shaking hands.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to entertain you further, but unfortunately I¡¯ve gone and worn myself out.¡± She took another long draw from the pipe and the shaking stopped.

    ¡°It was very nice to meet you Zoey, please stop by again once you¡¯re a little more settled in.¡±

    Clara shot to her feet, ¡°Is there anything I can do before¡­¡±

    Annabelle just waved her hand dismissively.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright child, I just need to lay down. You take Zoey here and introduce her around town, off you go!¡±

    I let myself get ushered towards the door, turning right before leaving and giving a polite nod back to my hostess. ¡°Thank you very much for having us, I look forward to seeing you again.¡±

    With that I stepped outside, holding the door just long enough for Clara to join me before shutting it again. As soon as I did a massive coughing fit arose from inside. Clara tried her best to pretend she hadn¡¯t heard it.

    ¡°Mer¡± Kaylee said quietly.

    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± I whispered back. ¡°She¡¯s tried to hide it, but she really is a terrible actor.¡±

 Chapter 12 - Hearth and Home

    Clara and I quickly descended down the hill heading back towards the crossroads. It seemed like Clara didn¡¯t want to say anything, so it fell upon me to bring up the subject.

    ¡°So, what is she sick with? Tuberculosis?¡± I asked quietly.

    My green cloaked companion flinched. ¡°Probably, that¡¯s our best guess,¡± Clara said softly. ¡°She tries to hide how bad it is from everyone, but we all know.¡± She paused just for a second, glancing my way, ¡°It¡¯s like you said, she¡¯s a terrible actor.¡±

    She continued down the path, talking to me over her shoulder. ¡°She insists on doing everything herself, and hates when people hover around her, so all we can do is provide the herbs she needs and watch from afar.¡±

    ¡°Dakota said she and Cheyanne went out to gather materials for her medicine, it seems like she¡¯s well stocked, what was it they were looking for?¡±

    ¡°Lizard tails,¡± Clara sighed. ¡°They¡¯re probably not even that useful, but the girls found some line in one of the grimoires about how they¡¯re good for the lungs. Dakota was desperate, so they believed it.¡±

    ¡°It must be tough for her,¡± I said quietly. ¡°Witches can promote the growth of plants, heal wounds nearly instantly, and live exceptionally long lives due to their magic, but when we become sick that incredible power gets turned against us. Trying to treat an illness only makes it worse.¡±

    Clara nodded quietly, but didn¡¯t say any more.

    Kaylee nudged me gently with her head. ¡°Meep.¡±

    ¡°I know, we¡¯ll talk later,¡± I whispered to the cat.

    When we finally arrived back at the crossroads Clara immediately stepped out into the valley, and started following the path back to the village. I followed, but at a much more cautious pace.

    Since the village was nestled into the western side of the valley, and it was still fairly early in the day, the entire place was lit up by the morning sun when we arrived. Since I wasn¡¯t here for a tribunal this time I stopped at the top of the ridge to take it all in.

    It was rustic, but that gave it a certain charm. A lot of people were out, sitting in front of their houses doing chores, or visiting with neighbors. It felt more natural, genuine, and alive than Gravewater, which is probably because it was. Gravewater was a place built and run by the company, this was a place built by the people.

    After I was done taking it in I jogged down the hill to catch up to Clara.

    When I stepped into town this time the people didn¡¯t immediately flee into their houses. They gave me an exceptionally wide berth, and looked at me suspiciously, but they didn¡¯t run away. An improvement.

    The roofs and doorsteps were also full of animals this time, the other familiars. They followed our every movement, stalking our steps, probably taking note of everything I did to report to their witches later. Kaylee bristled when one particularly large, and fierce dog wandered too close. The two animals locked eyes for several seconds before my cat hissed, sending the dog running.

    ¡°Gotta show them who¡¯s the boss, huh?¡± I laughed quietly.

    Even though the village was only about three streets wide, we had to weave around to get to our final location. Clara led me to one of the larger, central buildings in town. We had to go all the way around, since the entrance was in the north east, and we came in on the south west, but that gave me a little more time to take in the village.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    I was surprised when she didn¡¯t bother knocking at the door, just stepping right inside, so I hesitated a second before following her.

    We stepped into what appeared to be a large dining hall. There was a massive central fireplace, open on all sides to warm the various tables arrayed around it. On my left there was a small, rough stage, with a handful of worn down and handmade instruments, and on my right there was a large open kitchen. There were a handful of stoves, prep stations, and dozens of pots and pans hanging from hooks along the wall and ceiling. At the end of the kitchen there were a couple shelves with various spices, and at the top of the tallest one was a massive ginger cat, sleeping.

    In the middle of the kitchen, humming to herself, was a woman with long auburn hair tied back with a handkerchief. Her rosy cheeks practically glowed as she violently beat a lump of doh into shape. Extremely violently. The entire kitchen shook with every blow. The cat didn¡¯t even twitch.

    Once she finished beating the doh she finally looked up, and noticed us. ¡°Well I¡¯ll be, Clara! You never picked up your loaf this morning. And who is this? She wouldn¡¯t happen to be our mysterious visitor, would she?¡±

    I smiled at the woman, and held out my hand, ¡°Zoey Claiborne, nice to meet you.¡±

    She reached out and grabbed my hand, crushing it with her powerful grip. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meetcha. I¡¯m Harmony Hudson, chef for this little burg.¡±

    I resisted the urge to check if my hand was broken as I retracted it. ¡°You cook for everyone around here?¡±

    ¡°Oh no, not all the time anyways. I cook during special events, festivals and the like, and I feed everyone working in the fields during harvest season, but usually I just bake for the community. Save everyone else the time and effort. During most of the year we just use the space to host weekly potluck and talent show,¡± she explained in a cheerful manner. Once she was done explaining she looked me up and down. ¡°You¡¯re the one that saved my little girl, aren¡¯tcha?¡±

    ¡°I am¡­¡± I admitted.

    That was about all I managed to get out, because the woman swept me into a bone crushing hug. ¡°Thank you! I don¡¯t know what I would have done without her. Her pa and I were worried sick!¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± I barely managed to wheeze out before she released me.

    ¡°Bless you Zoey Claiborne. If you ever need anything, you come see me, and I¡¯ll do my best to help yah.¡± The woman brushed the tears out of her eyes and stood up straight. ¡°I wish my husband was here to meet you, but unfortunately he¡¯s out hunting with Cheyanne.¡±

    ¡°Not lizard tails I hope,¡± I muttered under my breath. I didn¡¯t mean for Harmony to hear me, but apparently she did.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get me started on lizard tails!¡± Harmony growled. ¡°Those foolish girls almost disappeared forever over some nonsense they found in some random book.¡±

    I won¡¯t lie, Harmony¡¯s strength scared me a little bit, so when she clenched her fists and stomped on the ground, I backed up a little.

    ¡°Right, I won¡¯t mention it again,¡± I promised before straightening up again.

    ¡°If you really wanted to help me, you could let me know what work I could do around the coven. I might stay awhile, but I know most of the people around here don¡¯t trust me so it should probably be something I can do solo.¡± I glanced over at Clara, who was nodding at my question. ¡°Maybe as a pair.¡±

    Clara narrowed her eyes, but Harmony didn¡¯t seem to notice. ¡°What didja do before?¡±

    ¡°Coven guardian,¡± I replied casually. That caused both women¡¯s eyebrows to shoot up. ¡°That¡¯s not an option though, my magic was crippled and I¡¯m not allowed my weapons around the coven.¡±

    ¡°How about hunting?¡± Harmony suggested.

    ¡°I¡¯ve only tracked people, with magic, and that would still require my weapons,¡± I replied cautiously.

    Harmony turned towards Clara. Even though she was just standing normally, with a smile on her face, it almost felt like a predator standing over a small animal. ¡°I¡¯m sure Clara here can teach you. She¡¯s been hunting around here since she was just a tiny pup. It¡¯ll be a good way for you to learn the lay of the land around the coven, and it¡¯ll probably be fine as long as she holds onto your weapons until you step outside the coven boundaries. Right Clara?¡±

    The redhead sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Thyra, and see if that¡¯s acceptable.¡±

    ¡°Wonderful! Then it¡¯s settled.¡± Harmony smiled, and that previous pressure just melted away. ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on making a big lunch today, since the family is out, but now that you¡¯re here I could definitely make a go of it. It¡¯s the least I could do for you.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate it, but I wouldn¡¯t want you to go out of your way,¡± I replied graciously. ¡°How about Clara and I stop by for dinner later this week instead?¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll prepare a feast!¡± Harmony declared with a massive grin. ¡°But I can¡¯t let you leave empty handed. Take some bread!¡± Grabbing a massive wooden tool off the wall she rushed to the oven and pulled out a fresh loaf of bread. She expertly wrapped it in a handkerchief before placing it in my hands.

    Kaylee sniffed at it for a moment, before sticking out her tongue. Harmony giggled, reached into her apron, and pulled out a piece of jerky. ¡°You should enjoy this, Sunbeam¡¯s favorite.¡±

    My cat gently took the treat out of Harmony¡¯s fingers, and nodded her thanks.

    ¡°Now, as much as I¡¯d love to sit around and gab all day, the latest batch of bread is done and I need to get it out to the people that are waiting. I¡¯ll talk to you girls later, we¡¯ll figure out when to have dinner then!¡±

    Seeing Harmony sprinting over to the stoves, and preparing nearly a dozen loaves of bread Clara and I awkwardly left, leaving her to it.

    Once we stepped outside the two of us glanced around, trying what to do next. After a couple moments I flipped open the handkerchief and held it out to my companion. ¡°Bread?¡±

 Chapter 13 - On the range

    ¡°So, I¡¯ve met everyone you wanted to introduce me to. Now what? It doesn¡¯t seem like anyone else even wants to look at me,¡± I said as I followed Clara towards the northern side of the village.

    Clara nodded, slowly chewing on her share of the bread.

    ¡°They¡¯ll warm up to you,¡± she finally said once her mouth was clear. ¡°As I see it, we have two more places to go today. To visit Thyra, and to see your horse.¡±

    Kaylee immediately perked up. ¡°Mer?¡±

    ¡°Nightmare isn¡¯t your horse,¡± I muttered at the cat. ¡°I may have purchased her to help with the rescue, but the plan was always to hand her off to the girls so they could ride back to the coven while you and I escaped in a different direction on my broom.¡±

    Clara chuckled. ¡°Well, that sounds like a good idea, in theory, turns out there¡¯s a slight issue with it.¡±

    ¡°And what might that be?¡±

    ¡°It seems that horse of yours won¡¯t listen to anyone but you,¡± Clara said as we strolled out of the northern gate.

    A couple hundred meters away I could see a large, crude paddock. Nightmare was galloping around, tearing up the ground, making a mess of the place. Just across from her I could see Thyra standing next to a crude stable, yelling. ¡°Come back here! I¡¯m not asking you to abandon your master, all I¡¯m asking you to do is talk to me!¡±

    Kaylee purred lightly at the sight.

    ¡°It¡¯s not funny,¡± I berated her.

    It didn¡¯t take long for us to get up to the paddock, and as soon as we started following it around towards the stable both the individuals inside noticed us. Nightmare trotted right up to the fence, demanding pets, while Thyra held her head in her hands.

    ¡°Why won¡¯t you listen to Thyra? Hmmm? Is there a problem with her?¡± I asked lightly, scratching the horse on the head. Kaylee slowly rose up onto my shoulders then pounced over to the horses back before sitting down, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

    I looked at the cat suspiciously. ¡°Did you put her up to this?¡±

    ¡°Mur!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, like I believe that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to get that horse to cooperate with me for the last week, and the instant you walk up she¡¯s as compliant as a kitten,¡± Thyra said as she walked up.

    Both my animals turned and gave her a hard look, so she threw up her hands. ¡°No offense meant.¡±

    ¡°I see you took up our offer to stick around,¡± the giant woman remarked casually, as she turned to look at me. ¡°Olivia was convinced you¡¯d run off given the chance.¡±

    ¡°From what I understand, I still have that option after I look around. Thought I¡¯d at least give this place a chance first,¡± I replied quietly.

    ¡°Good,¡± Thyra remarked quietly, before turning back to my horse. ¡°Don¡¯t know how you managed to find yourself such a loyal animal, but you should be proud.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    Nightmare threw her head up in a dismissive way, then started to trott away, Kaylee on her back. ¡°I have no idea. I¡¯ve only had her a couple days, and she didn¡¯t act so wild when I was in town. Maybe it¡¯s something to do with the area around the coven?¡±

    ¡°Maybe it has something to do with you,¡± Clara countered. ¡°You know how quickly animals can bond to a witch, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s usually because they find nature magic soothing. That¡¯s something I lack,¡± I replied, watching the horse trying to show off.

    ¡°Well, maybe this one reacts better to whatever you have running through your system,¡± Thyra suggested curiously.

    I glanced over as the red haired woman casually hopped the fence, and headed over to stand by Clara and me. Thyra asked, ¡°Have you done a full tour yet?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen the village, and the Anabelle¡¯s house, but I haven''t met that many people,¡± I replied leaning back against the fence. ¡°Anabelle is convinced they¡¯ll come around, but I¡¯m not so sure.¡±

    ¡°The old woman is more perceptive than most people give her credit for,¡± Thrya laughed heartily. ¡°Give it a couple weeks, you¡¯ll see.¡±

    Stripping off her rawhide gloves she gently patted me on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯d love to say and talk, but I need to get going. You caught me at the end of today¡¯s session.¡±

    Clara cleared her throat. ¡°Before you go, Harmony wanted me to ask if you¡¯d allow Zoey to join the hunters. If I held onto her weapons, until we left Coven grounds.¡±

    Thyra paused for a moment, thinking. ¡°That¡¯d probably be alright. If she¡¯s ever caught running around the coven with them, without cause, there¡¯ll be trouble.¡±

    She tucked her gloves into her belt, nodded to both of us and turned to go again, but I felt the need to ask Thyra one last thing. ¡°Anabelle mentioned that you¡¯re the one I should ask about what Graves is doing. Can you tell me about it?¡±

    This time Thyra froze. ¡°Why do you want to know?¡±

    ¡°While I was in town things felt wrong, but in a believable backwoods brainwashed sort of way. On that train though? I ran into something, well someone really, that shouldn¡¯t have existed. I spent a lot of years as Coven guardian, and my instincts are screaming at me to investigate,¡± I explained.

    Thyra rubbed the back of her head, stared at the ground, but didn¡¯t turn around. ¡°Alright, but not now, I don¡¯t have the time. How about Clara takes you out hunting tomorrow, and you come by my place the day after. I¡¯m warning you now, it¡¯s not pretty.¡±

    ¡°I can handle that,¡± I said. ¡°See you in a couple days.¡±

    I watched as Thyra jogged off, back to town. The woman didn¡¯t look back even once. Once she¡¯d disappeared from sight, I glanced over at Clara. ¡°She seems like a decent person. I really didn¡¯t get the impression that she was on my side while I was in that tribunal though.¡±

    ¡°The whole point of a tribunal is to evaluate someone as impartial as possible, at least around here,¡± Clara replied.

    ¡°Someone should inform Olivia that,¡± I hissed under my breath. When Clara looked at me strangely I just smiled. ¡°So you have anywhere else you want to go today? Or is it back to the cell?¡±

    ¡°We have the time to go for a horseback ride, and I can show you the fields if you want. I¡¯m going to be honest though, there¡¯s not much to see around here.¡±

    ¡°Eh, we can do that tomorrow. I¡¯d like you to show me the Coven¡¯s boundaries, so I know what my limitations are, before we actually start hunting. I assume that¡¯ll take a fair amount of time.¡±

    ¡°Several hours by horseback,¡± Clara confirmed.

    ¡°Then tomorrow.¡± Raising two fingers to my lips I let out a quick whistle, which brought Nightmare running over. As soon as she arrived she stuck her head over the fence for more scratches.

    Kaylee jumped down onto the fence, fur wild. ¡°Mow¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t blame me, you¡¯re the one that wanted to ride around bareback. You should have been prepared for the wind during a full gallop.¡±

    Clara looked at me strangely. ¡°If you¡¯ve only had Nightmare for a couple days, how did you know that whistling was going to work?¡±

    ¡°Instinct, I guess? Even though I can¡¯t talk to animals anymore, besides Kaylee, I still remember how it felt. I think there might be some vestigial remains of my magic buried deep down. I can¡¯t do everything I used to, but I can still heal faster, and kind of understand animals,¡± I said, scratching Nightmare¡¯s mane.

    ¡°Hope for the future?¡±

    ¡°Or some part of me is holding onto the past, either way it¡¯s only a tiny sliver of my previous power. Hardly even worth mentioning.¡± Stepping away from the fence slightly I placed a hand on Nightmare¡¯s head. ¡°We¡¯ll be back tomorrow, go for a ride then, okay?¡±

    Nodding, the horse neighed, before licking Kaylee and running off. Hair on her head standing straight up, The cat just stared at the retreating horse in horror.

    ¡°Mur!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be mad, she¡¯s just being affectionate. I¡¯m sure she didn¡¯t do it on purpose, to get back at you for something you said.¡±

    Eyes narrowed, the cat slowly turned towards me.

    ¡°I said she didn¡¯t do that,¡± I said with a small smirk. Based upon the look Kaylee was giving me, she didn¡¯t believe me.

    ¡°Come on, it¡¯s time to go anyway. We¡¯ll be back tomorrow, and you can give Nightmare a piece of your mind then.¡±

    The cat pouted, but still climbed up my arm and settled around my shoulder once again. Before promptly smushing her head into the side of my neck in revenge. I didn¡¯t even give her the satisfaction of reacting.

    Instead Clara and I started making our way back towards the village, and my tiny shack beyond.

    Smiling slightly I whispered to the cat, ¡°Tomorrow, we ride.¡±.

 Chapter 14 - Perimeter

    Clara had come to pick me up extremely early the next morning, even before the sun had come up. She usually had robes, and a cloak on when she came to visit, but today she had on riding leathers and a ten gallon hat. Her hair was tied back into a long ponytail which was quite fetching on the woman.

    She led me through the forest, a sleepy cat draped across my shoulder, arriving at the village just as the sun crested the horizon. Even though the sun was low in the sky a surprising number of people were out and about already. I nodded to most people, tried to ignore the distrustful glances, as we quickly made our way to the north paddock.

    Nightmare¡¯s tack had been laid out, which probably meant Clara had probably already been here this morning. I glanced over at her questioningly.

    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t let me close enough to put her stuff on, otherwise I would have rode over this morning,¡± she explained dismissively as she prepared her own horse. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal.¡±

    I shot my horse a disapproving look. ¡°Let the nice lady close in the future,¡± I whispered. ¡°She¡¯s a friend¡­ I think.¡±

    Nightmare looked at me apologetically, and stood passively as I put her tack on.

    Within minutes we were ready to go. Clara led the way, on her red mustang, galloping north towards the edge of the valley.

    It felt good to ride out on the open plain, especially after being stuck in that shed for several days. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I had been happy to be let out and visit the town too, but riding around without people judging me for five minutes. Priceless.

    The valley was a lot wider than I expected, and even after the fields disappeared behind us the valley continued on. It probably took close to an hour to reach the other end, marked scattered trees, rocks and scrub brush. Clara slowed her horse to a walk, slowly following the indistinct border.

    ¡°This is what we consider the northern boundary of the coven. The entire perimeter is marked with a line of warding totems to alert the coven guardians if anyone ever wanders into our land,¡± she explained, pointing to a small carved post pounded into the ground just beyond the tree line. I recognized many of the symbols etched into it, although I wasn¡¯t sure if it was just a difference in the magic, or some slightly different arcane language.

    ¡°You have wards around the entire perimeter? You¡¯d need one every fifty or so feet, and the perimeter has to be several miles long,¡± I said. ¡°That must have taken forever.¡±

    ¡°The elders have had twenty years to set them up. They figured out a way to maintain them with ambient magic, so they don¡¯t decay either. I can''t imagine how much work it would be if we¡¯d have to replace them every few years.¡±

    I nodded silently, looking at the rocky ridge beyond. The terrain didn¡¯t look uncrossable, but it definitely seemed inhospitable. It probably acted like a natural barrier between the coven and the town, you¡¯d have to be fairly desperate to cross it without a reason.

    Pushing herself upright Kaylee eyed the badlands. ¡°Mow?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea how the girls crossed that area, I was unconscious at the time,¡± I growled at the cat. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see?¡±

    ¡°Merrr.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t remember?¡± I asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s a side effect of the wards,¡± Clara explained. ¡°The girls came back through one of the hidden paths, there are extra wards to obfuscate those passages, and scramble the memories of those that pass through.¡±

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Seems excessive.¡±

    Clara shrugged. ¡°We like our privacy.¡±

    She pushed her horse into a slow gallop again, following the ridgeline East. I was surprised how far the rough terrain went, I would have expected it to only have been at the base of the foothills on the west side of the valley, but it continued almost to the far side of the area. Several miles away.

    The east side of the valley ended in a thick forest, even thicker than the one my temporary shed was located in. The mix of spruce and evergreens was almost unnaturally thick. Perhaps it was.

    ¡°This is the eastern edge of the coven. The thickest of the woods are here in the north east, slowly thinning out until they hit the creek. Tree cover is fairly thin on the south side, but that should make it easier for you to spot the wards,¡± Clara explained, slowing down to ride next to me. ¡°Most of the best hunting is on this side. Deer like to gather around the creek.¡±

    ¡°Is that all we¡¯ll be hunting?¡±

    Clara explained animatedly. ¡°Of course not, they¡¯re just some of the easiest prey. Antilope, rabbit, moose, bison, fox¡­ there¡¯s a ton of wildlife out here. It depends whether the coven needs food, or leather. The wards keep most of the predators away, so we rarely have to deal with wolves or bears, but they do occasionally wander too close.¡±

    ¡°You must enjoy it, you¡¯re more active now than I¡¯ve ever seen you,¡± I told her.

    ¡°I enjoy getting out,¡± she said, sitting back in her saddle, blushing. ¡°The last few months I¡¯ve been assisting Lady Amelia, and I haven¡¯t had much time to myself.¡±

    I turned to look at her, confused for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re Lady Amelia¡¯s assistant? How did you end up babysitting me? Surely one of the guardians would have been a better choice.¡±

    Clara shrugged. ¡°They had the option, but none of them volunteered. Since you passed through the perimeter without triggering the wards, they were concerned there was a break in the perimeter. This was before we knew about your powers of course. Since no one else wanted the job, I volunteered.¡±

    ¡°And you volunteered because?¡± I prompted.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. You saved the girls, so I figured you couldn¡¯t be that bad, and once I found out about your powers, I became interested in your background.¡± She looked a little sheepish, and glanced away. ¡°Thyra filled me in on what you said at the tribunal.¡±

    ¡°I figured the entire town knew what had happened in there, considering how distrustful they are of me,¡± I grunted. ¡°You know, if you wanted to know more about me all you had to do was ask.¡±

    She glanced at me, just for a moment, before urging her horse into a trott. ¡°I¡¯ll take you up on that, but later. We still have a lot to do today!¡±

    ¡°Really? How big is the coven?¡± I grumbled under my breath.

    Riding for another hour brought us to the creek, which meant we were somewhere east of the village. We were so far out, I couldn¡¯t even see the massive crop fields.

    ¡°We should let the horses relax and drink before we continue,¡± Clara announced, hopping down from her horse. Without prompting the massive red mare wandered up and started drinking. Nightmare pulled at the reins for a second, so I placed them over the saddle horn and hopped down too.

    Wandering over to the edge of the woods Clara stared into the forest for several long moments. Just when I started wandering over a massive Raven swooped out of the treeline, landing on Clara¡¯s outstretched arm.

    ¡°Corrin, where have you been? You missed dinner yesterday,¡± Clara berated the massive raven.

    The big bird cocked its head to the side. ¡°Caw¡±

    ¡°Not being hungry isn¡¯t an excuse, you know that I worry when I don¡¯t see you in the evening. You should at least come in and let me know you¡¯re alright.¡±

    Corrin ruffled her feathers, looked at Clara for several long seconds then let out a gentle. ¡°Caw¡±

    ¡°Apology accepted. Now what are you doing out here? Normally you explore much further out.¡±

    Fluttering her wings, Corrin let out a short series of squawks. Clara immediately went still.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Probably nothing, but¡­¡± Clara paused for a moment and bit her lip. ¡°Corrin saw a small band of people several hundred feet out, traveling parallel to the perimeter.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Aren¡¯t there people out here that know about the coven, and avoid the area?¡±

    ¡°No, and that¡¯s the problem. The only ones that know we¡¯re here should be Graves company to the north, and the tribes to the south. I can¡¯t think of a good reason for either of them to be walking the perimeter.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to investigate?¡±

    Clara paused, glanced out into the forest, then back towards the village, before finally nodding. ¡°It¡¯s too suspicious. I may not be the best person to investigate, but I¡¯m a competent witch, and if someone has hostile intentions towards us, I want to know. I¡¯ll send Corrin back to inform the village, and get them to send out a couple guardians to follow up.¡±

    Jogging back to her horse Clara quickly removed the blanket from behind the saddle and dragged it towards me. Quickly unrolling the blanket she revealed my rifle case hidden within. ¡°Take what you need, just in case,¡± Clara said seriously.

    I let my hand hover over the familiar weapons for several seconds before finally grabbing the holster shoved into the case. I quickly shucked my coat and fastened it around my torso before reaching into the case for one of my pistols. After a quick check, and reload, I slipped it home. After slipping the rifle over my shoulder I hesitated for a moment, before checking and loading the weapon and holding it out to Clara.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need that, I have my magic,¡± she said, immediately stepping away.

    ¡°Magic can fail, it¡¯s good to have back up,¡± I replied, still holding out the weapon. She still didn¡¯t take it, so I slipped it into the second holster on my belt. ¡°Suit yourself.¡±

    Closing the case again I slipped it on the back of Nightmare before securing it. ¡°Now, shall we investigate?¡±

 Chapter 15 - Unexpected Company

    The treeline thinned out considerably as we left the Coven¡¯s boundaries, following the shallow slope downwards. It didn¡¯t take long to find where the mysterious group crossed the creek. They weren¡¯t exactly trying to be subtle. On both sides of the creek there was a clear path of trampled plant life and snapped branches. It looked like the group had taken a quick rest here before moving on.

    Hopping off Nightmare I crouched down to examine the numerous tracks left in the mud.

    ¡°There are three to four of them. Two are on heavy horses, and carrying a lot of weight, the others are traveling light,¡± I muttered as I poked at the various hoof prints.

    ¡°How can you know that? I thought you¡¯d never been hunting before,¡± Clara asked, fidgeting nervously in her saddle.

    ¡°I told you I¡¯ve tracked people before,¡± I replied, as I rose to my feet. ¡°And whoever this group is, they¡¯re not trying to be subtle.¡±

    Kaylee hissed quietly, and nudged me with her paws. Hand resting lightly on my pistol, I casually glanced around.

    ¡°Where?¡± I whispered.

    The cat didn¡¯t answer, instead she stared straight ahead, further down the creek. I hadn¡¯t felt anything, but Kaylee certainly had. My magical senses had dulled considerably ever since the attack, and animals were naturally sensitive to magic, so I trusted her senses.

    I glanced back towards Clara, who showed no indication she had felt anything either, before slowly creeping towards the magic Kaylee had sensed.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Clara hissed after I¡¯d moved about half a dozen paces away. I just gestured for her to keep back, eyes locked on the creek ahead of me.

    I couldn¡¯t see it, or feel it in the traditional sense, but I knew something was there. We were being watched, judged. The power inside me screamed to be released, to consume something at the side of the creek, but I suppressed it, pushed it back deep inside.

    There was the slightest bit of movement, so subtle that I would have dismissed it as the wind, and whatever had been there vanished. I couldn¡¯t tell what had happened, whether it ran away or dissipated, but it left behind a magical residue.

    Old, powerful, familiar.

    Clara must have felt it too. ¡°Zoey, get back here this instant!¡±

    I didn¡¯t argue. Jogging back I immediately mounted Nightmare and turned her to follow intruders.

    ¡°What the hell was that? I¡¯ve never felt anything like that,¡± Clara whispered from beside me.

    ¡°A spirit. An ancient one if I had to guess, based upon how powerful it was. Probably benevolent,¡± I explained as I urged Nightmare across the creek.

    ¡°Probably?¡±

    ¡°A malevolent one wouldn¡¯t have just sat there, watching us. It would try to rip us limb from limb. I guess it could have been a spirit of the land, but most of those have been driven out of the east so I don¡¯t know much about them,¡± I spared the barest glance back before spurring Nightmare into a gallop. ¡°Whatever it was, I don''t want to be around if it decides to come back.¡±

    ¡°You seem to know a lot about spirits, did you run into a lot of them back east?¡± Clara asked.

    ¡°Only once, and that was more than enough,¡± I replied quietly.

    It didn¡¯t take us long to find traces of our mysterious quarry again. From what I could tell from the tracks they weren¡¯t moving too quickly, the horses were only walking, and they were stopping frequently. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    Not suspicious, or worrying at all.

    Instead of just riding right into the back of them, I chose to instead turn Nightmare towards the Coven, deeper into the woods.

    As soon as I deviated from the path, Clara sat up in her saddle. ¡°Where are we going? I thought we were following the group?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know if the group is friendly or not, so I don¡¯t want to just ride them down. If we go up and around we can find a good place to watch them without being seen. Do you know any good lookouts around here?¡±

    Clara chewed on her lip for a minute before answering. ¡°I know one, but it¡¯s only a couple miles ahead. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s good enough.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll check it out, and if it doesn¡¯t we¡¯ll find somewhere else. Lead on,¡± I declared.

    The red mare jumped ahead, rapidly scaling the rough ground until we were almost back on Coven lands again. Clara then straightened out following the perimeter until we emerged from the woods, right next to a massive rocky ravine. Dozens of large rocky fingers poked out of the side of the hill, creating numerous outcroppings for us to hide behind.

    Leaping off Nightmare behind the nearest outcropping I quickly tied the horse off before creeping forward

    The easiest path would have been right at the bottom of the ravine. Flat ground, with a little bit of tree cover. One major downside of this perch was we were quite a way up the hill, to the point where I couldn¡¯t quite tell if the other party had passed yet or not.

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to have a spyglass on you, would you?¡± I asked Clara.

    The woman just raised an eyebrow at that.

    ¡°Right you don¡¯t need one, magic,¡± I grumbled. ¡°Can you tell if they¡¯ve passed through here yet or not?¡±

    The redhead stuck a finger into one of the numerous bags on her belt, mumbled something under her breath, then swiped the finger across her eyes. For a second, her eyes glowed extra brightly, the green shimmering even in the shade of the outcropping. She swept her gaze across the bottom of the valley for several seconds before answering. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it.¡±

    ¡°Then this is where we set up,¡± I declared quietly, before heading back to the horses.

    First, I pulled Kaylee off my shoulder and carefully placed her on Nightmare¡¯s saddle. The cat shot daggers at me.

    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that. If things go south I¡¯ll need full freedom of movement, and I may need you to ride in and rescue me,¡± I explained.

    Kaylee stood up straight and smirked. ¡°Mew¡±

    ¡°Yes, ¡®Like last time¡¯,¡± I admitted before moving to the back of the saddle.

    It didn¡¯t take me long to detach my rifle case, and the blanket below it, then drag them both back to cover. After spreading the thick blanket out over the rocks, to make the area comfortable enough to sit on for more than five minutes, I set down the case.

    Clara stared at me questioningly as I cracked open the case again. I¡¯d taken all the weapons, but that wasn¡¯t all there was inside. Underneath the rifle storage space, near the front of the barrel, was a long wooden panel. Pressing firmly down on the middle section caused the thing to click, and slowly swing open, revealing a scope.

    ¡°Why the hell did you build a hidden compartment for your scope,¡± Clara asked in confusion.

    ¡°It¡¯s not hidden, it''s just in a separate compartment to prevent it from getting bumped, or damaged,¡± I explained as I lined up the scope on the top of my rifle before hand tightening the screws to keep it in place.

    Shielding my eyes I glanced up towards the morning sun. ¡°I¡¯ll have to be careful to stay in the shade, so the sun doesn¡¯t glint off the scope.¡±

    ¡°Is all this necessary?¡± Clara asked. ¡°They could just be travellers.¡±

    ¡°They could also be outlaws, or diabolists, we just don¡¯t know,¡± I countered. ¡°If you ask any of the coven guardians they¡¯ll tell you, better to take things slow, and show restraint, then rush into a situation.¡±

    After double checking the sun¡¯s position I popped up and rested my rifle on the edge of the nearest rock and looked back towards the direction our guests were coming from. I only had to sweep the area for a few seconds before I caught sight of movement,

    ¡°Got¡¯em,¡± I whispered. ¡°From what I can tell there¡¯s four, two draft horses and two quarter horses.¡±

    ¡°Can you tell who¡¯s riding them?¡± Clara asked impatiently.

    ¡°They¡¯re still in the woods, I need to wait for them to get clear first,¡± I whispered back.

    I had to wait several long seconds, scope hovering over the first figure, until the group cleared the treeline.

    ¡°What the fuck is this?¡± I growled.

    ¡°What? What is it?¡± Clara asked expectantly.

    ¡°Witchhunters, in full combat gear, traveling with two older girls. One blond, the other looks native. What the hell are they doing?¡±

    After a couple seconds the group stopped, and one of the Witchhunters turned and said something to the girls. The native girl shook her head, and less then a second later was clawing at her neck, screaming in pain.

    Clara flinched at the noise. The fact that we could hear her this far away was probably a bad sign. I swept my scope over the girl as she slumped in her saddle. From this distance I could barely make out the collar around her neck. A bronze ring that sparked occasionally.

    The Witchhunter said something else and the girl sat up, and raised her hands. Wind swirled around her, her eyes glowed white, and a pair of transparent wolves materialized next to her. The girl whispered something, and both wolves shot up the hill, heading towards the coven.

    ¡°The hell is this? This isn''t how Witchhunters operate,¡± I muttered ducking back behind the rock.

    ¡°Do you think you can make out any more details with that spell of yours?¡± I asked Clara.

    The woman nodded, repeated her ritual and popped her head up for just a second before ducking back again. She was white as a sheet.

    ¡°What? What did you see?¡± I prompted her gently.

    ¡°On that person¡¯s chest there was an emblem, one I recognized,¡± she mumbled quietly.

    ¡°An emblem, not a star?¡± I asked confused for a second, until everything clicked together. ¡°Graves.¡±

 Chapter 16 - Grave Mistakes

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± Clara whispered. ¡°What are they doing? Who are those girls?¡±

    ¡°If I had to guess, we¡¯re looking at what Graves does to the people they kidnap. They force them to work for the company.¡± I popped back out of cover and scanned the entire group again.

    The two fake Witchhunters were both well armed. I was pretty sure one of them even had an alchemical repeater, while the other had a full suppression rig on their back. That was some heavy duty hardware. They were definitely looking for a fight.

    The girls, on the other hand, didn¡¯t seem to have much beyond the clothes on their back. That didn¡¯t mean they weren¡¯t dangerous. If the Graves hunters, as I decided to call them, could force them to use their magic against us, they could rapidly turn things in Graves¡¯ favor.

    ¡°Fuck¡­¡± I whispered as I dropped behind the outcropping again.

    ¡°What are they doing here anyways?¡± Clara asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I admitted. ¡°They were forcing one of the girls to summon what looked like wolf spirits, and send them towards the coven.¡±

    ¡°But spirits can¡¯t enter the coven¡¯s lands, the wards prevent that.¡±

    I frowned. ¡°Then why the fuck¡­ Wait, do the wards go off when a spirit approaches the perimeter?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, they¡¯re not my area of expertise. Why?¡± Clara asked.

    ¡°I¡¯d bet they don¡¯t, so the guardians don¡¯t have to investigate every time a wild nature spirit wanders too close. And if that¡¯s true it means they¡¯re probably using the shaman to probe the perimeter. Look for weaknesses in the coven¡¯s defenses.¡±

    ¡°Why the hell would they do that?¡± Clara hissed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± I nearly shouted, before remembering the situation and controlling my voice. ¡°Attacking a strong Coven would be suicide. Even for Witchhunters.¡±

    Clara bit her lip, and started rocking back and forth in agitation. ¡°So what do we do? I don¡¯t like the idea of just letting them collect information about our defenses and walk away scott free. Plus, we should help those two girls, if we can.¡±

    I gripped my rifle tighter. ¡°Do you know about Witchhunters? How to fight them? Because fighting them is completely different than fighting a mundane, or another witch.¡±

    Clara shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve taken basic combat training, for self defense, but nothing specific.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s still better than most of my previous coven,¡± I snorted quietly.

    ¡°Look, the real Witchhunters are an order of alchemists run by the government. They create various tools, armors and weapons that are designed to be highly resistant to magic, while being extremely effective against casters.¡± As I was talking I popped up and checked out the nearest Graves Hunter through my scope. ¡°They were created to find, and exterminate the diabolists, but are capable of fighting most casters. You can¡¯t attack them directly, their armor will dissipate the magic, so you need to attack them indirectly. Entangle them with vines, create rock spears, animate the trees, whatever you can with the surrounding environment.¡±

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°It sounds like you¡¯ve fought them before,¡± Clara said quietly.

    ¡°Actually, it was the opposite. I worked with a pair when a cabal of diabolists moved close to my old coven. They were stone cold professionals, dedicated to their cause.¡±

    I watched as one of the Hunters turned towards the other, and said something. A joke? Were they laughing?

    ¡°A real Witchhunter would never abandon their order, which makes me think these bastards are just imitations. It¡¯s a big risk. I can¡¯t imagine that the Witchhunters, or the government, would be happy having someone running around using their secret formulas without their knowledge.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great and all, but it really didn¡¯t answer my question,¡± Clara mumbled.

    I paused, pulled back from my scope and looked at her. ¡°Right, sorry. Could we take them? Maybe. This pair doesn¡¯t seem very professional, but that doesn''t mean they¡¯re packing heat. The one in the front has a gun that can fire sixty rounds a minute, each one designed to debilitate anyone hit. The one in the back is wearing a device that weakens magic within a certain radius. In addition to that, there are the girls, who they may be able to force to fight us.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like a fight we can win,¡± Clara pouted.

    ¡°It is if we strike first¡­¡± I muttered. ¡°I could just take one out from here, maybe even both, but it¡¯s more likely we¡¯ll end up in a firefight with the second one. Our other option is to wait for backup to show up, but that¡¯ll probably take at least another hour. There¡¯s always a chance that we get spotted before then.¡±

    ¡°And if we strike first, what would you suggest?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d take out the second one, completely take the suppression rig out of the fight, then you could try and entangle the one with the repeater until I managed to get a shot on them. It¡¯s more dangerous if the repeater gets loose, but I¡¯d rather that than have the suppressor completely take you out of the fight,¡± I explained. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Clara sat there, fidgeting for several seconds, before sitting up straight and nodding. ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡±

    Since she seemed resolved, I nodded back. ¡°Then we should split up a little bit, just in case that asshole manages to get some shots off. Go around to the side of the formation, and try to stay out of sight. Even when you¡¯re casting, try to avoid revealing yourself. If worse comes to worse, I¡¯ll draw their fire. I¡¯ll give you a minute before I open fire.¡±

    Clara seemed a little less sure about that, but still nodded before slowly lowering herself off the rock we¡¯d been sitting on, and making her way around the outcropping.

    I waited silently, hiding in the shadow of the rocks, counting the seconds. When I hit sixty I popped up, pulled the stock of my rifle to my shoulder, and prayed that I was doing the right thing.

    I slowly centered my crosshairs on the second hunter, released my power and let it gather around the barrel of the rifle, let out a long low breath, and pulled the trigger.

    The hunter exploded.

    Literally.

    I¡¯d pushed a little bit of power into the rifle to help it punch right through the hunter¡¯s armor, which it did, but apparently that was more than enough to cause it to punch right through them and out the other side. The suppressor wasn¡¯t a delicate machine, but that didn¡¯t mean it didn¡¯t have some volatile parts, and hitting it in just the right place apparently caused it to go up like a stick of dynamite.

    I was so distracted by the spectacle that I missed my chance to hit the second hunter. The horses reared, up threatening to scatter, but the hunter expertly brought their big horse under control within seconds. Forcing the horse to lay down they rolled out of the saddle and disappeared behind its bulky body.

    They reappeared a second later, propped their oversized rifle on the horse¡¯s saddle aimed directly at me and pulled the trigger.

    I yanked my rifle back and dropped to the ground as the hail of rounds completely destroyed cover. Rolling further away, and dropping to a lower level I just stared in awe at the devastation.

    Those were not debilitating rounds. Explosive? Whatever they were, they weren¡¯t standard.

    Sprinting around the outcropping I desperately looked for another vantage point. It took several seconds, much longer than I wanted. Hopefully Clara hadn¡¯t started her magical attack yet. Or drawn attention to herself.

    Throwing myself into the small cleft in the rock I tried desperately to get a beed on the second hunter. Even after moving I didn¡¯t have a shot. The horse was providing too much cover, and the repeater was putting up too much smoke for me to get a clean shot. As I watched, vines shot out of the ground and grabbed the end of the repeater, and pulled it down. They nearly managed to wrench the weapon out of the hunter¡¯s hand, but somehow they managed to hold on.

    I was still trying to get a clear shot when the screaming started. Visceral, filled with pain, which meant the bastard was probably torturing those girls to get them to help.

    That sealed it. If I couldn¡¯t get a clear shot around the horse, I¡¯d go through. It wasn¡¯t an ideal choice, and I felt bad for the animal, but I couldn¡¯t delay any more.

    Putting my crosshairs over the hunter¡¯s approximate location I pulled upon my power, held my breath.

    And the Hunter was hoisted into the air, screaming. Even at this distance, without the help of my scope, I could see blood pouring out of several deep punctures. Their body whipped back and forth several times, before being smashed into the ground.

    After several seconds a form slowly appeared above the dead hunter, one of a massive wolf. The twelve foot tall creature pawed the body for a moment, before turning to look at the girls. I don¡¯t know what it was really looking for, but it sniffed them both briefly before turning away and vanishing back into the forest.

    I dropped my rifle, hands shaking. ¡°Fucking spirits,¡± I mumbled.

 Chapter 17 - Those Who Were Left Behind

    I just barely managed to stop shaking by the time Clara came rushing back. ¡°Was that the same spirit that was watching us at the creek?¡± she asked hurriedly.

    ¡°Probably,¡± I replied as calmly as possible. ¡°Although we won¡¯t know until we go down there and check.¡±

    ¡°You want to go down there? Now?¡± Clara asked cautiously.

    I hesitated for several seconds before replying. ¡°Do I want to? No. Am I going to? Yes. If that spirit wanted us dead, it could have killed us back at the stream, and someone needs to check on those girls.¡±

    Raising my fingers to my lips I whistled for Nightmare before I lost my nerve. It only took a couple seconds for the horse to come rushing forward, Kaylee sitting in the saddle.

    Ears pinned back and eyes narrowed, Kaylee looked at me suspiciously. ¡°Mew?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it was here. Killed a Graves Hunter then disappeared again,¡± I replied. The cat opened her mouth to ask a follow up question, so I cut her off. ¡°I¡¯ll explain everything later, but right now I need to get down this hill. It looked like the Graves goons were escorting a pair of prisoners, and I want to check on them.¡±

    Expression relaxing, just a little, the cat nodded.

    ¡°Good girl,¡± I whispered before throwing my rifle over my shoulder and heading towards the horse.

    ¡°I¡¯m coming with you!¡± Clara suddenly declared, rushing for her own horse.

    ¡°Are you sure you want to do that?¡± I shouted at her back.

    Climbing into her saddle, Clara took a deep breath before answering. ¡°No, but I¡¯m not going to let you go down there by yourself. Plus, I want to check on those girls just as much as you do.¡±

    Nodding, I jumped up into my own saddle and gently directed Nightmare out of cover and down the hill. We couldn¡¯t go straight down, it was a little too steep and covered in various smaller rocks, so we needed to wind our way down.

    Surprisingly, the girls hadn¡¯t tried to run after the fight had started, or even ended. Instead they were sitting in the exact same position as before, having an animated conversation. Clara and I managed to get halfway down the hill before the blonde noticed us and shushed the native girl.

    The girls weren¡¯t in the best of shape. They were skinny, not quite starved but they¡¯d obviously not been well fed for a while now. In addition, both girls had a number of bruises poking out from their worn, ill fitting clothes.

    Once we were closer I could clearly see the collar bolted around both girl¡¯s necks. They were ugly things, made of that magic resistant copper colored alloy and covered in various alchemical vials and wire coils. Crude work, compared to what the Witchhunters used, but apparently effective at keeping the girls in line.

    ¡°Are you okay? We could hear you screaming from way up the hill everytime those assholes triggered those collars,¡± I called as I wound my horse down the hill.

    ¡°We¡¯re fine,¡± the blonde responded after a couple seconds, eyeing us suspiciously. ¡°Are you two from the coven?¡±

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    ¡°Sort of,¡± I replied non-committedly. ¡°My friend is, at least.¡±

    Clara glanced at me for a moment, before addressing the girls. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you two are still here. You could have run off during the fight, or afterwards, without any problems.¡±

    ¡°If we¡¯d tried to get too far from those two, or tried to take off the collars, they¡¯ll activate and continue shocking us until we die,¡± the blonde explained. ¡°They made us watch it happen once, so no one would attempt to escape.¡±

    My eyes narrowed slightly. ¡°There¡¯s a lot to unpack from that sentence, and I¡¯d like to circle back to that soon, but first let''s get those collars off you.¡±

    The native girl spouted off a couple words in a language I didn¡¯t recognize, and her friend nodded. ¡°Why should we trust you?¡± the blonde asked.

    ¡°Because we don¡¯t mean any harm to you, we were just protecting the coven,¡± Clara explained quietly. She even raised her hands cautiously to show the girls she was unarmed. Which really meant next to nothing for a witch.

    ¡°Look, I¡¯m not going to force you to do anything you don¡¯t want to, but the way I see it you¡¯re in a bad place here. You can either allow me to remove those collars, you take those bodies with you wherever you go, and probably get arrested the instant you approach civilization, or you starve to death here,¡± I said, pulling Nightmare to a stop a few feet away from the girls. ¡°I can give you a couple minutes to think about it if you want.¡±

    The two exchanged a quick glance, before the blonde turned back towards me. ¡°Can you really remove them, without setting them off?¡± she asked. There was the faintest hint of both hope, and fear, in her voice.

    ¡°Absolutely,¡± I said, jumping down from my saddle. As soon as I was on the ground, Kaylee jumped to my shoulders.

    The blonde immediately started to climb off her horse, only to have the native girl grab her arm. They had another quick conversation before the blonde girl finished climbing down. She walked right up to me, and raised her chin. ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± she tried to declare confidently. I could still make out a slight tremor in her voice, but chose not to point it out.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± I asked quietly as I inspected the collar. I wasn¡¯t an expert in technology, and didn¡¯t have a clue what most of the components on the collar did, but I could tell the latch was booby trapped. I was going to have to avoid that area.

    ¡°Mary,¡± the blonde replied, closing her eyes tightly.

    ¡°Well, Mary, don¡¯t worry. This¡¯ll only take a second.¡± I carefully grabbed both sides of the collar, avoiding both the hinges and the obvious joint on the other side, and released my power. The collar just fell into two pieces, falling harmlessly to the ground.

    Both girls stared at the collar in disbelief. ¡°How did you do that?¡± the blonde asked quietly.

    ¡°Magic,¡± I grunted quietly. ¡°Does your friend want her collar off too?¡±

    Mary animatedly waved the native girl over, talking excitedly in their shared language. The other girl hesitated for a few seconds, but did end up slowly climbing down and creeping over. ¡°And what¡¯s your name?¡± I asked the second girl quietly.

    She just shook her head, closed her eyes, and raised her chin, whimpering the entire time. ¡°Plays-in-water doesn¡¯t speak English,¡± Mary explained. ¡°Those thugs grouped us together so I could teach her.¡±

    ¡°And where did you learn?¡± I asked, as I slowly reached out and grasped Plays collar. As soon as I was sure I wasn¡¯t going to trigger the failsafe I released my power, breaking the collar in two.

    As soon as it fell away, Plays sprinted back to her horse, ranting the entire way.

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing she still doesn¡¯t trust us, huh?¡± I whispered as the girl clambered into the saddle and yelled at Mary.

    ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it if you two didn¡¯t immediately run off,¡± Clara said, raising her voice so she could be heard over Plays. ¡°We¡¯d like to know more about how you two ended up in this situation.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if Plays is willing to wait,¡± Mary replied quietly. ¡°Ever since I met her all she¡¯s talked about is getting back to her tribe. I¡¯m not even sure that she knows where they are.¡±

    ¡°Well, maybe someone in the coven can direct her in the right way. You could get some extra supplies at the very least,¡± Clara suggested. Mary relayed the request to her friend, who finally stopped ranting, and then the two fell into a quiet conversation.

    ¡°Can you keep an eye on them for a couple minutes?¡± I whispered to Clara. ¡°I want to check on those bodies really quickly.¡±

    ¡°Sure, but don¡¯t be long. I have a feeling that Plays won¡¯t be very patient, no matter what they decide,¡± she whispered back.

    I slipped away from the small group and headed over to the two Hunters. Their horses had wandered off, just leaving the two mangled corpses.

    The one I had killed was almost unrecognizable, twisted and burned by the explosion. Nudging the body with my foot I managed to roll it over onto its back. It had the same coppery colored armor, and featureless mask that WitchHunters used, but something was different. It had the Graves insignia of course, but that wasn¡¯t it, I was having trouble putting my finger on it.

    As I gently searched the man¡¯s pockets, now that I was this close I could tell he was indeed a man, for any information he might have the armor shifted slightly. Grabbing the breast plate, and pulling slightly, caused the metal armor to pull away; Apparently the leather straps holding it on had all but disintegrated in the explosion. I didn¡¯t find any papers underneath, but I did find something else. Etched into the metal on the inside of the breastplate was a tiny Graves emblem, and 103/200.

    ¡°I hope that doesn¡¯t mean what I think,¡± I whispered to Kaylee.

 Chapter 18 - Return to Sanctuary

    It didn¡¯t take me long to check the wannabe hunters. They were traveling fairly light, they just had their weapons, and enough supplies for a few days in the wilderness. Nothing interesting.

    When I headed back to the others a minute or so later, the girls were still whispering loudly to each other.

    ¡°They still haven¡¯t decided what to do yet?¡± I asked Clara.

    ¡°No, they¡¯ve been arguing since you left. Seems like they can¡¯t agree on what to do next.¡±

    I sighed loudly and stepped towards the pair. ¡°Ladies, I hate to break this up, but we really should get moving here. Have you made a decision?¡±

    Mary bit her lip. ¡°No. I want to escort Plays back to her home, but I don¡¯t think we¡¯re in any condition to travel all that way and she¡¯s unwilling to wait.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to force her to come with us, but it¡¯s going to take a little time for us to get back to the creek, which is the easiest way back into the coven. You can continue discussing it until we get there.¡±

    The girl nodded, and almost immediately went back to conversing with her friend.

    ¡°What should we do with the remains? Take them back with us?¡± Clara asked as I headed back to Nightmare.

    I paused for a moment, looked back at the corpses, and shook my head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t recommend it. There¡¯s so much Mythrite in their armor and equipment that it would affect all the magic cast within the village, and stripping them of it would only leave the corpses. We¡¯ll leave them here, and let the guardians know. They can decide.¡±

    A quick, low whistle brought Nightmare walking over. I gently placed Kaylee on the saddle, before climbing up after her. ¡°I need to ride back up the hill and collect the stuff we left up there. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    Wheeling Nightmare about, I directed her back up the hill. It was steep, but manageable for the horse. It still took a couple minutes to make it up. I quickly stripped my scope off the rifle, and put both away, before wrapping the case back in the blanket and strapping both back to Nightmare¡¯s saddle. As soon as I was done, I directed the horse back down.

    Half way down the hill I noticed that Clara and the girls weren¡¯t alone anymore. There were two more cloaked figures with them. One I recognized, just from her stature. I doubted there was anyone else Thyra¡¯s size anywhere on the west coast. I couldn¡¯t get a good look at the other woman, she had her cowl pulled down too low, but it looked like she was talking with Plays.

    As soon as Thyra saw me her hand shot down to her waist, where there was a revolver hanging, but relaxed when she realized it was me. ¡°You know, if you wanted to know more about the situation, you could have just waited until tomorrow,¡± she grunted when I got closer.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t come out looking for trouble, trouble came looking for me,¡± I replied with a shrug.

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    ¡°Right¡­¡± she glanced back at the corpses. ¡°Well, I appreciate you stepping in and dealing with these bastards before they became a real issue. I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d be brazen enough to ride our parameter looking for weaknesses. At least, not yet.¡±

    I let that last comment slide, for now. ¡°Who¡¯s your friend?¡±

    Thyra turned slightly, and glanced at the other woman. ¡°Tallulah. She¡¯s from one of the tribes we regularly trade with, but decided she wanted to stay and try and learn our ways. She¡¯s been my partner for a year or two now.¡±

    I rode up next to Clara, nodded to her. A loud caw from a nearby tree informed me that her familiar Corrin had returned too.

    ¡°Plays will come with us, but only long enough to rest for the night and get new supplies,¡± Tallulah announced after a few seconds, sitting up straight in her saddle. I couldn¡¯t make out much, because she was still mostly hidden by the cloak, but I did get a look at her face. The first thing I noticed about her is that she had two different colored eyes. One light brown, the other blue. And glowing. She also had a single lock of white hair in her otherwise black hair, which fell over her blue eye.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure she gets it,¡± Thyra promised, before bringing her horse around. ¡°Everyone stick close to me until we get back to the Coven. I don¡¯t expect to run into any of those bastards on the way back, but we¡¯re not going to take any chances. Tallulah, watch our rear please.¡±

    The native woman nodded silently in response.

    When Thyra spurred her horse forward we all fell into a quick, tight formation. Thyra first, followed by the girls, then Clara and me, and finally Tallulah. Thyra didn¡¯t waste any time either, setting off at a quick gallop. She only turned around once, just to make sure we were all keeping up, before locking her eyes on the trail ahead. At full this speed it only took us about fifteen minutes to arrive back at the creek.

    We followed it back up, only slowing once we¡¯d passed safely back into the coven grounds again.

    ¡°Tallulah and I will escort the kids back to town. I¡¯ll need to talk to you both, and get your side of the story, but that can wait until tomorrow. We¡¯ll talk to the kids first. Make sure you don¡¯t miss our appointment tomorrow,¡± Thyra told me, once we¡¯d stopped. ¡°Make sure you bring Clara with you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice. I¡¯m still on probation, remember?¡± I reminded her.

    ¡°Just don¡¯t forget. Our little talk just got a whole lot more important,¡± Thyra hissed. Before I could reply she wheeled her horse about, and set off back towards the village. The girls and Talullah just a few steps behind her.

    ¡°Well, that was exciting,¡± Clara muttered. She was petting her oversized familiar, which had flown down and landed on her saddle once everyone else had set off. ¡°Now what do we do?¡±

    I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯d suggest we go out hunting, like we originally planned, but that might not be the smartest idea after what we just experienced. Perhaps we should head back, stay closer to the village for now? We can alway check the perimeter another day.¡±

    Clara thought for a second, then nodded. ¡°Seems sensible, given the situation. I do want to check in with Lady Dyer, see what she thinks of the situation.¡±

    ¡°I guess you¡¯ll want my weapons back then,¡± I grumbled.

    ¡°Well, I trust you with them, but it¡¯s probably best that you turn them over. You don¡¯t want to give your detractors any reason to doubt you,¡± Clara replied.

    Hopping off Nightmare I carefully removed the gun case and set it on the ground. I had to unload both my pistols, carefully arranging the ammo within the case, before placing them in their respective recesses.

    Kaylee jumped down from Nightmare¡¯s saddle and strode up to me. She glanced back at Clara before leaning forward and whispering, ¡°Mer.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to try and smuggle one of my pistols back to the cabin,¡± I replied loudly. ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡±

    Clara and Corrin both glared at my familiar, who just looked at them both and stuck out her tongue. ¡°Mow.¡±

    Once my guns were properly packed away I passed the case back over to Clara. ¡°It sounded like Thyra kind of expected Graves was going to try this. Did you really know anything about it?¡± I asked as I climbed back into the saddle.

    ¡°I was Lady Dyer¡¯s assistant for awhile, and if she knew anything about it she didn¡¯t speak about it while I was around,¡± Clara replied quietly.

    ¡°Which means she either didn¡¯t think it was important, or it was so important she could only talk to a few people about it,¡± I said. ¡°I know which one I¡¯d like to believe is true, and which I honestly think is true.¡±

    ¡°How bad do you think the situation is? Honestly?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. If the elders are keeping it from the rest of the coven it must be serious. I have my suspicions, but we¡¯ll know more tomorrow. I doubt Thyra is going to keep it from us after what we¡¯ve seen.¡±

    Clara nodded, then gently spurred her horse towards the village. ¡°I hope you¡¯re right.¡±

 Chapter 19 - Thyra

    The next morning I woke with the sunrise, wiped myself down, and did a couple quick exercises to loosen up. Then I started pacing.

    I wasn¡¯t normally the pacing type, but I was antsy after what happened yesterday, and I was eager to find out exactly what was going on.

    Kaylee cracked an eye, raised her head off the bed, and yawned. After a couple seconds she shot me an aggrieved look, ¡°Meow!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t help it. What happened yesterday has me on edge. I feel like something big is going on around here, and I¡¯ve glimpsed parts of it, but I¡¯m missing the big picture.¡±

    ¡°Murrrrrr¡­¡±

    ¡°I know pacing doesn¡¯t help! It just makes me feel better,¡± I snapped.

    ¡°Mrow!¡±

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll sit,¡± I finally conceded. Pulling one of the heavy wooden chairs away from the table I sat down heavily. My knee continued to bounce with my nervous energy.

    Kaylee just rolled her eyes, curled up into a ball, and went back to sleep.

    Thankfully Clara showed up fairly early, only an hour or so later, her raven perched on one shoulder, and a wicker basket full of breakfast items hanging from her arm. Kaylee, of course, shot to the door and started rubbing up against Clara''s legs the instant she saw the basket.

    ¡°Alright you troublemaker, give me a minute,¡± Clara hissed, nearly tripping on my cat before making it to the table and placing down the basket.

    With breakfast secured, Clara and Corrin simultaneously looked me up and down. ¡°You okay? You¡¯re bouncing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just anxious, I really want to talk to Thyra, figure out what¡¯s going on,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Well, lucky you. She told me to bring you by in about an hour. That¡¯s just enough time for breakfast,¡± Clara said, pulling the blanket off the basket. Inside was a pair of fresh loaves of bread, and some sort of warm meat.

    Before Clara and I could move, Kaylee grabbed one piece of meat, while Corrin hopped down and stole the other. The two thieves bounced off, happy with their ill gotten gains.

    ¡°Harmony made this for us. There¡¯s a pair of boiled eggs wrapped in a handkerchief in the bottom too,¡± Clara explained as she took one of the loaves.

    Talking out the other loaf, and one of the eggs, slowly chewing on the feast. The entire cabin was suspended in a brief silence as everyone enjoyed their modest breakfast. When we finally finished Clara gently placed the blanket back on the basket and nodded slightly. ¡°Time to go.¡±

    I didn¡¯t need any further prompting, quickly standing up and grabbing my coat from where it was laying on the truck at the foot of the bed. Once I had it on, Kaylee jumped to my shoulder, and we were ready to go.

    Clara led the way back to town, Corrin on her shoulder. We traveled quickly down the path, nearly jogging the entire way. The village was busy, people carrying out their early morning chores. Most people ignored me, but a couple nodded as we moved past. That was certainly an improvement from before.

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    We left the village through the northern gate, and swiftly headed towards the coral. Just beyond the coral was a modest log house. It was tucked into the side of the cliff, and looked a little newer than the other buildings in the area. Clara strode right up to the door, and knocked heavily on the door.

    After a brief pause, the door opened and Thyra popped her head out. She looked at the pair of us, and our familiars, smiled a small tired smile, and popped back inside. ¡°Come on in,¡± she said quietly.

    The interior of the cabin was surprisingly spartan. It had all anyone would need to live, but no creature comforts. Assuming this was Thyra¡¯s cabin, she didn¡¯t even have a blanket on the bed, just a ratty pelt.

    Sitting next to the bed was a massive red fox, who watched me suspiciously as I walked around. Kaylee hissed at the animal, trying to establish dominance, but the animal just ignored her.

    Once I finished my cursory inspection I walked up to the table, and took a seat.

    Thyra gently closed the door behind everyone, and slowly made her way over to the table, before sitting heavily at the table. The fox got up, and padded over to Thyra, before laying its head on her lap. Thyra reached down and scratched the animal behind the ears, which she looked us over. She looked tired, with black circles under her eyes, but she still managed to give Clara and I a small smile.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Clara asked. ¡°You don¡¯t look so good.¡±

    ¡°I just didn¡¯t sleep that well, it¡¯s no big deal,¡± Thyra said dismissively.  ¡°I know you probably have plenty of questions, but do you mind if I start? I got most of the information from the girls, but I¡¯d like a little clarification.¡±

    I didn¡¯t exactly want to, but I knew it was polite, so I nodded.

    Thyra sighed and sat up straight, put her arms on the table, and locked her fingers together. ¡°Now, can you tell me how you ended up following those goons? Ambushing them?¡±

    ¡°Corrin warned us,¡± Clara explained. ¡°She found someone walking the perimeter, too close to the wards to not know about them. We followed the creek down to the last place Corrin saw them, that¡¯s where we picked up the trail, and encountered the spirit.¡±

    Thyra¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°What spirit?¡±

    ¡°The girls didn¡¯t mention the massive nature spirit? Twelve feet tall wolf, enough power to give Lady Adel a run for her money?¡± I asked, surprised.

    Thyra shook her head. ¡°I thought you two killed them both.¡±

    ¡°Well we didn¡¯t. When we got down to the tracks, Kaylee noticed something was watching us. It ran off before we could figure out exactly what it was, but it disappeared before we could identify it. All we could tell is it was old, and powerful. It thankfully wasn¡¯t looking for us. Now that I¡¯m looking back, it probably was looking for the girls.¡±

    Clara nodded quickly. ¡°It looked like it was protecting them.¡±

    ¡°So, how did you go from tracking them, to ambushing them?¡± Thyra asked.

    ¡°We didn¡¯t plan on ambushing them at first,¡± Clara clarified. ¡°Zoey realized the group was moving slowly, and just riding up behind the group was probably a bad idea, so we cut around them and headed to the ravine. That way we could get a good look at the group, before deciding what to do.¡±

    ¡°It was only after we saw the two Graves Hunters torturing those girls that we decided to act,¡± I said.

    ¡°Graves Hunters?¡± Thyra asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I call them. That armor, the metal it¡¯s made of, and the gadgets they were carrying are all based upon what the WitchHunters use. I don¡¯t know how they got this knock off equipment, but it¡¯s almost as effective as the real thing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve encountered them before, but I didn¡¯t know it was based upon the WitchHunter gear. That¡¯s disturbing,¡± Thyra mumbled.

    ¡°Anyways, neither Clara nor I liked the fact that those two assholes were torturing those girls, so we set up an ambush. I shot one of them before they even knew we were there, and while Clara and I tried to figure out how to deal with the second the spirit showed up. Chomped down on the second bastard before anyone could react, and bit him to death in seconds.¡±

    ¡°It was vicious,¡± Clara added quietly. ¡°And once it was done the spirit went over to the girls, checked on them, then vanished.¡±

    ¡°After that, we went down to check on the girls, and a few minutes later you showed up. That¡¯s about it,¡± I finished.

    Thyra nodded, scratched the foxes head and thought for a moment. ¡°That answers some questions, but also brings up some new ones. Wonderful.¡±

    Clara sat forward. ¡°Speaking of the girls, where are they? I didn¡¯t see them yesterday¡­¡±

    ¡°We spent most of the evening talking to them over at Harmony¡¯s place. They stayed with her overnight, and now Tallulah is keeping an eye on them. Once we¡¯re done here, we¡¯ll go meet them,¡± Thyra explained.

    ¡°Did you find anything out when you were talking to them?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Not much. They told me where they were being held, what they experienced, and how they ended up with those two overseers. It lined up with my previous experience, I have no doubt it was the truth.

    I leaned forward at that. ¡°You¡¯re previous experience? You want to expand upon that?¡±

    Thyra flinched, but nodded. ¡°I promised you I¡¯d tell you more about Graves didn¡¯t I? Well, sit back and relax, let me tell you how I ended up in the Melting Snows coven.¡±

 Chapter 20 - Grave Sins

    Thyra leaned back in her chair and began her tail. ¡°I¡¯m originally from a small coven outside Bergen, in Norway. We have a tradition back home that when a witch comes of age, they are encouraged to leave the coven for a couple years and explore the world.¡±

    ¡°When I came of age, I decided to go much further than the rest of my friends, and peers, and come all the way to america. At first, things were great. I saw many new things, and learned from the local witches, but that all changed when I decided to travel west,¡± Thyra told us.

    ¡°I made the mistake of choosing to take the Graves line,¡± she said, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. ¡°I wasn¡¯t hiding my identity or anything, I didn¡¯t think it was necessary, and everything seemed fine at first. That is, until we passed into Idaho. At the second station, I can¡¯t even remember the name of the dirtball of a town, a squad of those ¡®Graves Hunters¡¯ stormed into the train car. I tried to fight them off, but their armor protected them from the worst of my spells. In the end, they subdued me with a combination of drugs and restraints, and pulled me back to one of the cargo cars.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how long I was kept there, I was pretty heavily sedated, but the next thing I knew I was being dragged off the train and taken to a massive compound outside of the town of Graveburn,¡± Thyra swallowed, it looked like she was fighting back tears, but she continued. ¡°Half of the compound appeared to be a base to house those ¡®Graves Hunters¡¯ and the other half¡­ was full of magicals. Witches, shamans, fortune tellers, the works. We were restrained in manacles that limited our magic and treated like slaves. I don¡¯t know what the others had to do, but I was forced to either stoke the forges in the compound, or help grow esoteric herbs. Troublemakers were taken away and beaten within an inch of their lives, one in three never came back.¡±

    ¡°Fuck¡­¡± I whispered.

    Thyra was really at the edge of tears now, so Clara leaned forward and took her hand. ¡°If it¡¯s too hard you don¡¯t need to tell us any more. We¡¯d understand.¡±

    ¡°No, I need to say this,¡± Thyra replied, taking a deep breath in. ¡°I¡¯ve only ever told the elders, when I first arrived, I need to get it out.¡±

    She sat up straight, steeling herself, and gaining some control of her emotions before continuing. ¡°After being there for a year or so, a couple of the older witches got together and made a plan. They created a ritual circle under one of the bunkhouses, filled it with the limited power they could and conjured a terrible storm. It ripped open the fences, allowing those of us that wanted to escape a chance to run for it. The wind was so strong, and rain so thick, that I have no idea how many of the others managed to escape. I just fled.¡±

    ¡°Once things cleared up I just wandered randomly for a while. I knew I couldn¡¯t head back to the town, they¡¯d just turn me in to Graves again, but I didn¡¯t have a clue where else to go. I don¡¯t know how I managed to avoid all the patrols sent out to recollect me, but I did. Once they gave up I survived by using the little bit of magic I could conjure through the shackles, and the survival skills I learned back home,¡± Thyra explained. ¡°I managed to survive for a couple weeks, scavenging what I could, before Tallulah and her tribe found me. I was in bad shape at that time, but they nursed me back to health, then brought me here. The Elders heard my story, and decided to let me stay. I¡¯ve spent every minute since trying to make it up to them.¡±

    ¡°How long ago was this?¡± I asked quietly.

    ¡°Five years ago, give or take. I still carry the scars of my time there,¡± Thyra said, rolling up one of her sleeves. Her arm was covered in dozens of long jagged scars. If she¡¯s been able to access her full magic those wounds would probably have closed cleanly, within minutes. Those manacles must really have disrupted her magic quite badly.

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    ¡°They¡¯ve been doing this for years?¡± Clara exclaimed. ¡°How can the rest of the coven not know about this? They¡¯re right on our doorstep.¡±

    ¡°The Elders didn¡¯t want to panic everyone. They warned some of the more influential members of the community, and instituted rules to keep everyone safe. That no one was allowed to go to Gravewater, that it wasn¡¯t safe, and no-one was to leave the coven grounds alone. We figured if people knew the full truth, some of the more hotheaded members of the coven might want to attempt to rescue the people at the camp.¡±

    Clara eyed up Thyra¡¯s face, then leaned back in her chair. ¡°But you didn¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea.¡±

    ¡°No. Those hunters, they¡¯re stronger than they look, and there were dozens of them at that camp. Even if all the prisoners had their powers, there¡¯s still a good chance they still would have been overwhelmed by those assholes,¡± Thyra said. ¡°That being said, fighting a couple young, and untrained, witches is completely different from fighting an extremely powerful one, like Anabelle or Lady Adel. Either one of those could probably wipe out entire squads with a wave of their hand, armor or not. I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d ever be brazen enough to come all the way here, looking for a fight.¡±

    ¡°Then why now? They¡¯ve known about the coven for several years now. We¡¯ve had to warn off the citizens of Gravewater a couple times. Why wait?¡± Clara asked.

    Kaylee leaned forward and hissed into my ear. What she said was crazy, but it also made sense. I bit my lip for a moment, then decided to share it. ¡°Because Anabelle¡¯s sick, and they somehow found out about it. They¡¯d still be crazy to attack a community this size, especially one that¡¯s prepared with various wards and defenses, but they may see this as a moment of weakness.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not even in terrible shape,¡± Clara huffed. ¡°You talk like they think she¡¯s on death¡¯s door.¡±

    ¡°They probably know she can¡¯t get all the materials required for her medicine. The kids probably told them that much, so all they have to do is watch and wait,¡± I grumbled, before looking up at Thyra. ¡°You said there were dozens of these guys at this camp?¡±

    ¡°Five years ago, yes. Who knows how many they have now,¡± she replied.

    ¡°And we struggled with just two,¡± I said, glancing over at Clara. ¡°Not good.¡±

    ¡°So what do we do about it?¡± Clara asked.

    I grimaced. ¡°Normally, I¡¯d say head back to civilization, and contact the government. Stealing WitchHunter tech would be one thing, but kidnapping magicals and forcing them into slavery¡­ that¡¯s something else entirely. The problem is the fastest way back east is the railway, and Graves controls it. Graves controls pretty much everything coming into, and out of this part of the west coast, which is probably why they feel confident enough to act openly out here.¡±

    ¡°Lady Adel doesn¡¯t trust the government, which is the reason she came out this direction, and why we never reported it before. Even if she did allow it, it would take weeks by horse, or broom, to make it to another town, and there¡¯s no guarantee that it would be safe,¡± Thyra said.

    ¡°We really need to keep an eye out for more of these scouts, and patrols, and we should probably start fortifying the town. Even if they don¡¯t attack, some extra protective magic around the area wouldn¡¯t hurt,¡± I suggested.

    ¡°Sensible. I¡¯ll ask Tallulah to gather a couple of the others and start¡­¡± Thyra was interrupted by a buzzing under her shirt. Eyes wide, she yanked out a medallion and stared at it. ¡°Something just broke the wards. Went through them like they weren¡¯t even there.¡±

    Clara and I shot to our feet. ¡°What where?¡± I exclaimed.

    ¡°The east, but it looks like some of the sentry wards have also been tripped. It¡¯s heading to the village,¡± Thyra yelled as she bolted for the door. Clara and I were only a couple steps behind her.

    By the time we got to the village there was already a commotion. People were running, fleeing from the East side of town. The three of us sprinted in that direction, eager to head off whatever was coming. When we rounded Harmony¡¯s place, we finally saw the problem.

    The spirit, the wolf, was standing there, and it was pissed. Lightning jumped from its fur to the surrounding area, scorching the land as it howled in fury.

    ¡°I thought you said that spirit wasn¡¯t interested in you!¡± Thyra shouted, skidding to a stop between the spirit and the village.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t! It could have easily killed us back there if it wanted to!¡± I yelled back.

    ¡°Well we better figure out what it wants, fast. If it gets into the village people are going to get hurt,¡± Clara growled.

    ¡°We won¡¯t let that happen,¡± I muttered back.

 Chapter 21 - Wrath of Nature

    As soon as we stepped in its way the spirit stopped its relentless advance. It looked us over, evaluating us, before snarling. This wasn¡¯t some mindless predator, it was a powerful ancient spirit. It knew what it was doing.

    ¡°Can we reason with it?¡± Clara asked under her breath.

    ¡°I have no idea,¡± I muttered under my breath as I quickly put Kaylee down, out of the way. ¡°I did a ton of research after my last run in, but almost everything I read was conjecture. Powerful nature spirits typically avoid people, only approaching when something threatens their territory.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not on its territory,¡± Thyra growled, pulling her pistol out of its holster.

    ¡°I realize that!¡± I hissed back.

    Once the spirit realized that we weren¡¯t going to move, it slowly started stalking forward. The amount of power rolling off it was enormous, almost suffocating, but we still held our ground.

    When it was only a couple feet away, Thyra released her magic. Vines sprung up around the spirit¡¯s feet, attempting to entangle it, while she pointed her weapon at the wolf¡¯s head.

    ¡°Not one step closer,¡± she warned. ¡°I¡¯ll protect these people by any means necessary.¡±

    The spirit didn¡¯t even slow, phasing through the vines like they didn¡¯t even exist. Instead it fixated on the weapon, anger and hate in its eyes.

    ¡°Put your gun down, I think it¡¯s making things worse,¡± Clara whispered horsely.

    ¡°I can¡¯t do that! If that thing steps into the village a lot of people are going to get hurt,¡± Thyra replied quietly.

    With the spirit focused on Thyra I stepped to the side, pulling at the power buried deep inside me. Without a focus this was going to be messy, but I didn¡¯t really see another choice. Thrusting my hand forward I released the energy, letting the void energy roll off me. It filled the space between Thyra and the wolf, ripping up the ground.

    The wolf stopped. It turned to look at me, not in hate, but curiosity.

    ¡°Back! Bad dog!¡± I yelled.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s afraid of you, just confused,¡± Clara muttered behind me. ¡°And bad dog? Really? You better hope that it doesn''t understand what we¡¯re saying. I think a proud wolf would take that as an insult.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing the best with what I¡¯ve got!¡± I growled. ¡°Without a pistol to focus my power all I can do is roughly direct it in a direction. It¡¯s far from precise.¡±

    While we were arguing a ruckus occurred behind us. I didn¡¯t dare turn away from the spirit, but I heard someone running, followed by Clara shout, ¡°No, wait!¡±

    I turned slightly just as Plays-in-Water sprinted past me, throwing her arms around one of the spirit''s massive legs. All the fight immediately went out of the massive wolf, the electricity disappeared, and it sat down on its haunches and listened as the girl talked.

    ¡°What just happened?¡± Thyra asked, confused. ¡°Why is the girl out here?¡±

    ¡°She is her tribe''s spirit speaker,¡± Tallulah explained as she emerged from the village. ¡°And that is the tribe¡¯s guardian spirit.¡±

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    ¡°Guardian spirit? I¡¯ve never even heard of such a thing,¡± I grumbled.

    ¡°They¡¯re not common, and most tribes will refuse to speak about them to outsiders. Only the tribes that live in harmony with nature will attract them.¡±

    ¡°Why is it here?¡± Clara asked. ¡°Attacking us?¡±

    ¡°Not attacking, protecting,¡± Tallulah clarified. ¡°It came for the girl.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why she was so hesitant to come with us, isn¡¯t it? She knew this thing was following her, and it would try and follow her into the coven¡¯s grounds,¡± Thyra said, holstering her pistol.

    Tallulah nodded. ¡°She panicked when it approached, but wouldn¡¯t tell me why until the spirit was right outside the village. I don¡¯t think she intended to tell anyone about it, even her friend Mary.¡±

    She glanced at the oversized spirit, which was slowly shrinking down, now only six feet tall. ¡°I don¡¯t know why it didn¡¯t intervene earlier, her captors must have had some way to ward it off.¡±

    ¡°Possible, One of them did have a suppression rig on,¡± I mumbled thoughtfully. ¡°Although I doubt it would have stopped that thing. Maybe it just hid her so the spirit couldn¡¯t find her.¡±

    ¡°The question is, what do we do now?¡± Clara asked. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous. It ripped through our wards, and nearly attacked us, to get to Plays. We can¡¯t keep it around.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that we could even drive it off if we wanted to,¡± I confessed. ¡°Maybe one of the stronger members of the coven could, but it really didn¡¯t seem like it really considered us that much of a threat.¡±

    ¡°We need to take Plays to see Lady Adel,¡± Thyra declared. ¡°I know the girl wants to leave, but this was a serious breach of security. The council will need to be informed.¡±

    ¡°Plays won¡¯t like that,¡± Clara muttered, ¡°she was adamant about leaving yesterday and if she¡¯s not happy there¡¯s a chance the spirit may get unhappy.¡±

    ¡°I will explain the situation to her,¡± Tallulah declared. ¡°I¡¯ll take her to the shack in the woods, away from the village, and we¡¯ll wait for the council there.¡±

    It took me a second to absorb what she was suggesting. ¡°Wait¡­ isn¡¯t that where I¡¯m staying?¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± Tallulah replied nonchalantly. ¡°We don¡¯t want to be anywhere near the village if the spirit gets aggravated again. The shack is the most isolated structure within the coven.¡±

    ¡°Somehow, that doesn¡¯t exactly make me feel any better,¡± I grumbled. ¡°But you¡¯re right, it¡¯s probably the safest place to have this meeting.¡±

    Tallulah nodded, then turned to the girl. While we¡¯d been talking the spirit had shrunk down to the size of a regular wolf. It sat, leaned up against Plays like an affectionate puppy. Tallulah explained the situation, in whatever native tongue Plays spoke. The girl looked hesitant, but nodded, and followed Tallulah away.

    ¡°Well, that was fun. In a completely horrifying way,¡± Clara chuckled nervously. ¡°Should I go inform Lady Adel of what happened?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Thyra replied. ¡°I¡¯ll need to be present at the meeting, as the head of the guardians. You should gather a few of the others, and check on those wards. With Graves sniffing around, we can¡¯t let our defenses be compromised.¡±

    Thyra started heading back towards the town gate, where a small crowd had gathered in the wake of the panic, but paused about half way. ¡°Clara, I¡¯m using my authority to allow Zoey to carry one of her pistols around within the coven. Just one. Oliva might not approve, but I don¡¯t care. Her actions over the last few days have proven she can be trusted, to me anyways. I¡¯d like her armed if something happens.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll stop by my place and grab it right away,¡± Clara promised. ¡°Do you want us to follow you to the cabin afterwards?¡±

    Thyra hesitated, then shook her head. ¡°Stick around the village. I have had the other guardians checking the wards since yesterday, so I¡¯d like to have someone here at the village if something goes wrong.¡±

    She adjusted her gun belt, then turned back towards the village, jogging back towards the council hall.

    I headed back towards the entrance of the village, where Kaylee had jumped up on the fence. She looked at me disappointedly. ¡°Mew¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care that you don¡¯t like being left behind,¡± I told her. ¡°I wasn¡¯t about to drag you into a fight with that thing. Besides, without a gun I can¡¯t focus my powers properly. I wasn¡¯t about to risk hurting you when I used them.¡±

    The cat stuck her nose up at me, but didn¡¯t complain. Instead she just quickly jumped to my shoulders and relaxed in her regular position.

    Clara strolled up to the gate, then paused waiting for me. ¡°Read to go?¡±

    ¡°As ready as I¡¯ll ever be,¡± I replied quietly.

    I followed her past the crowd of people, most of which only gave me the most cursory glance, and back into town. We quickly made our way to the west side, to a small house right at the base of the stairs heading up to the meeting hall. It didn¡¯t have much that differentiated it from the other houses from the outside, a plain stone and log construction without any real decoration. Clara didn¡¯t knock, she just pulled open the door and gestured for me to follow her inside.

    The interior of the small cottage had a lot more character. There were several brightly colored blankets piled up in one corner, and the shelf behind them had a number of dyes and pigments. Next to that was a neatly organized desk, which seemed to have a half finished cloak on it. Above, there was a shelf covered in various needles, and threads.

    ¡°Never pictured you as the embroidery type,¡± I quipped.

    ¡°Everyone needs a hobby,¡± Clara replied with a shrug. She went to a cabinet at the back of the room and pulled out my gun case.

    ¡°You heard Thyra, you can carry one pistol around the grounds, so get set up,¡± she said solemnly. ¡°We¡¯re probably going to have a lot of work to do today and I, for one, would prefer it if you were armed.¡±

 Chapter 22 - Practicing Witches

    When we stepped back outside it seemed that things had calmed down a little. There were plenty of people standing in small groups, gossiping, but there wasn¡¯t a huge crowd gathered around the eastern gate anymore.

    ¡°So, where to?¡± I asked as I followed Clara through town.

    ¡°We¡¯re heading to Harmony¡¯s place. That¡¯s where all active guardians and practicing witches are supposed to gather during an emergency,¡± Clara replied over her shoulder.

    ¡°What do you mean practicing witches?¡±

    Clara sighed. ¡°Although almost all the members of our community are witches, there are quite a few who are content to just use their magic to help grow the crops, or contribute to powering rituals. They¡¯re not interested in learning to shape it into spells and wards.¡±

    ¡°Not surprising, I knew a lot of people back home that were born with the power, but didn¡¯t want to learn how to control it. The difference being we were forced to learn, for self defense reasons.¡±

    ¡°Well, we thought we were far enough from civilization that we wouldn¡¯t need that. Guess we were wrong,¡± Clara muttered.

    The village was small, and by this point in our discussion we were already at Harmony¡¯s house. As I followed Clara inside, and got a look at the group that had gathered, I was surprised at how few people there were. Maybe a dozen total.

    I knew a couple of them.

    The girls, Dakota and Cheyanne, were sitting on the edge of the big central fireplace, chatting to themselves. Harmony appeared to be taking a small plate of food around to different groups, providing snacks while she checked in on everyone. Finally, tucked away in the far corner, away from the crowd, was Olivia. The raven haired council member shot me an angry look as soon as I stepped inside.

    I recognized most of the others from my frequent trips to town, but I didn¡¯t know any of them.

    As soon as we stepped inside the place turned quiet, and all eyes turned towards us. To be more precise, they turned towards Clara.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on Lass? What was that beasty out there?¡± one of the older women asked. It looked like the woman had spent her entire life out in a field. Unlike most of the other people here, who were wearing robes or dresses, she was wearing worn overalls. Her face was tanned, and weathered from the elements. She had graying black hair tied up in a loose ponytail.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a beast Agnes, it was a spirit. A powerful one,¡± Clara replied coolly.

    Hushed discussions rose up from the different groups around the room, so Clara loudly cleared her throat to get everyone¡¯s attention again.¡±As most of you have probably heard by now, Zoey and I ran into a group of hoodlums yesterday while hunting. They were keeping a couple girls hostage, so we confronted them.¡±

    Olivia snorted loudly, but no one else interrupted. ¡°After we saved the girls, Thyra and Tallulah brough the girls back to town, to figure out what exactly happened. Apparently one of the girls is from one of the local native tribes, and is favored by the spirits, so one of them came looking for her. That¡¯s what was at the gate.¡±

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    ¡°Are we going to have to worry about more of those things showing up around here?¡± a fairly young, timid looking woman asked. She actually looked a lot like Clara. Same green eyes, and red hair, just a couple years younger. Maybe they were related.

    ¡°Tallulah didn¡¯t seem to think so, but we should be extra cautious, just in case,¡± Clara declared. More muttering, but this time Clara didn¡¯t stop, she just talked over it. ¡°Now, for the unfortunate part. That spirit completely ripped through our outer wards, so I need a couple volunteers to head out to the eastern perimeter to check on them. Thyra has asked that Zoey and I stick around the village, so hopefully a couple of the active guardians will volunteer to protect that group. Thyra and Tallulah can¡¯t do it, they¡¯re keeping an eye on the girl right now, to make sure the spirit behaves.¡±

    A small moan arose from one of the smaller groups on my left. The group had one pair that looked to be in their late twenties, and another which appeared to be in their early forties. All of them looked completely exhausted; Thyra did say the Guardians had been run ragged lately. Assuming that they worked in shifts, that meant the coven probably had between ten and twelve guardians. More than enough to keep out the wildlife, far from enough to protect this village if it was ever attacked.

    The younger pair held up their hands. ¡°We¡¯ll keep an eye on the repair crew,¡± the blond with extremely short hair declared.

    With the defenders secured, a couple others volunteered to check the wards.

    ¡°Now, I know many of you have been resistant to putting wards around the village, but I think we should at least establish some temporary ones. Between the spirit, and people poking around the perimeter, I¡¯d like to see the village secure,¡± Clara continued.

    ¡°Who exactly were these hoodlums you ran into, girl, and why do they have you so spooked?¡± Agnes asked. The entire room went quiet, and turned to look at Clara. She immediately looked at me for help.

    Out of the corner of my eye I could see Olivia scowling, and shaking her head, so I took a deep breath.

    ¡°We can¡¯t tell you that right now,¡± I announced loudly, attracting the attention of the entire room. ¡°Thyra is still investigating the incident, and discussing it with the rest of the council. We honestly don¡¯t know what we¡¯re allowed to say or not, so please ask her when she gets back.¡±

    A few people grumbled at that, and started turning back to their groups, but I wasn¡¯t done yet. ¡°What I can tell you is they are a significant threat. They¡¯re not just a bunch of gun toting yahoos. They managed to capture two magical people, and keep them under control for an extended period of time. Everyone should exercise a little caution, especially when you¡¯re out near the perimeter.¡±

    I could see my warning shook a couple people, while a few others just completely brushed it off. Hopefully, once Thyra came back, they¡¯d take what she said more seriously.

    ¡°Any more questions?¡± Clara asked the assembled witches.

    ¡°Are we expecting more trouble? Or is this a one time thing?¡± the younger red headed girl asked.

    ¡°As far as I know, this is a one time thing,¡± Clara explained. ¡°That spirit was extremely old, and powerful, compared to most. It came looking for the girl, and calmed down when it found her. If there were more in the area, we almost certainly would have encountered them in the last twenty years. That being said, please keep on your toes, we don¡¯t know for sure.¡±

    The girl swallowed nervously, then nodded.

    ¡°Anyone else?¡± most of the other people shook their heads. ¡°Then I think we¡¯re good. The crisis has passed, and everyone can continue with what they were doing. I would like to ask that anyone willing to help ward up the village stay behind, so we can discuss it. If not, have a nice day.¡±

    Clara and I immediately stepped to the side, so people could leave. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were in such a position of authority around here,¡± I said jokingly, elbowing Clara in the ribs. ¡°You¡¯re such a big shot!¡±

    ¡°I was Lady Adel¡¯s assistant, and she trusted me to take care of important matters around the coven. Some people look to me for guidance, that¡¯s all,¡± Clara mumbled.

    ¡°It¡¯s obvious that people see you more than an assistant. Everyone in the room listened to you, and took what you said seriously. They wouldn¡¯t do that if you were just some lowly assistant,¡± I assured her.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the house to empty out, leaving just Clara, myself and three other people. The last one to leave was Olivia. She didn¡¯t say anything to me, but she glared daggers at me the entire meeting, so I was pretty confident she still didn¡¯t trust me.

    The ones that stayed behind were Harmony, Agnes, and the young version of Clara. Cheyanne and Dakota disappeared into the back of the house, leaving the five of us alone in the front.

    ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re the one those girls dragged back half dead? You don¡¯t look that bad to me,¡± Agnes grumbled before holding out her hand. ¡°Agnes Walker, nice ta meet you.¡±

    I reached out and gripped her firm hand. ¡°Zoey Claiborne.¡±

    The girl shied away slightly, but still waved. ¡°I¡¯m Eliza Williams, Clara¡¯s sister. Hello,¡± she said quietly, before stepping back behind Agnes. I didn¡¯t know if she was always nervous, or if she found me particularly scary.

    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit! Everyone¡¯s friends now!¡± Harmony declared in a booming voice. ¡°Now, how about you come back to the kitchen, sit down, and tell us what you¡¯re planning. Once you do that, we¡¯ll discuss the best way to help.¡±

 Chapter 23 - Lost Knowledge

    The coven had extremely powerful wards, with impressive coverage, around the perimeter but within the perimeter the defenses were sorely lacking. That wasn¡¯t a huge surprise, the coven came here for privacy and the wards were meant to keep predators and wanderers out, not defend against an attack. There was no need for inner defenses.

    At least, there wasn¡¯t before yesterday.

    Now that we knew Graves was snooping around, the village needed some serious defenses, and it needed them quickly.

    Our little group gathered around Harmony¡¯s kitchen, which was the warmest place in the house. We pulled several stools up to the massive heavy wood counter, and tried to make a decent plan.

    ¡°Here you go, a copy of grimoire,¡± Harmony announced as she dropped a heavy bound book down on the counter in front of me. When the massive leather bound tome landed, it did so with a deep thump, sending vibrations through the entire countertop.

    I stared at the book in awe, it had to be six inches thick, and it looked ancient. ¡°How many grimoires did the coven bring here? This thing must weigh a ton.¡±

    ¡°Two full wagon loads. Each one individually wrapped, to protect them from the elements during the journey,¡± Harmony explained. ¡°Most of them are stored within the council hall, but there are a couple families that have private libraries.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s quite an achievement, I can¡¯t imagine dragging that many books all the way across the continent,¡± I said, gingerly opening the book. It appeared to be written in some sort of latin, I could make out some of it, but not all. I was pretty rusty.

    ¡°Well, what¡¯s a witch without her knowledge? I was just a young girl when I made the journey, and without the books I would have had to learn everything from my elders.¡± Harmony sighed, ¡°I love this lot, but trust me when I say, teaching isn¡¯t their strong suit.¡±

    ¡°And this contains knowledge on how the perimeter wards were created?¡± Clara asked, as she leaned over my shoulder.

    ¡°My mother was one of the original designers. Everything we need is in there,¡± Harmony announced proudly.

    Agnes scoffed. ¡°We have the original designs, why would you want to change them?¡±

    ¡°Because the perimeter wards are designed to keep people out, not protect people. What we need is something a little more¡­ active,¡± I mumbled.

    ¡°Do you honestly think that Lady Adel and Lady Olivia would sanction that?¡± Eliza whimpered.

    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know, but it doesn¡¯t hurt to do some research,¡± I murmured in return. The book was fascinating, it was unlike anything I¡¯d seen back in Roanoke, probably because the Melting Snows coven originated from a completely different area. Most covens weren¡¯t exactly eager to share their knowledge, at least, not after the witch hunts and inquisitions. Grimoires were often hoarded and protected, not shared.

    I could see some similarities to the magic I was familiar with, the underlying principles were the same, but the practices were completely different. I wouldn¡¯t exactly call it better, some of the processes were very inefficient compared to what I was familiar with, while others streamlined the magic. It was quite apparent that their knowledge of wards and protective sigils was far superior to Roanoke.

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    After glancing through the book for a minute or two I begrudgingly handed the tome over to Clara.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to read it?¡± she asked, surprised.

    ¡°I¡¯d love to, but I can only make out a few words right now. It would be far more efficient for you guys to go through it,¡± I admitted. ¡°What we¡¯re looking for is a way to either block, or disable someone from rushing directly into the village.¡±

    ¡°Not kill?¡± Eliza asked.

    ¡°You never want killing wards,¡± Agnes grumbled. ¡°Because you never know who¡¯ll wander into them. You want Dakota or Chyanne to trigger something accidently, and lose a limb? Containing a threat is much safer, at least in the short term.¡±

    Harmony nodded, then gently took the book away from Clara. After flipping through the pages for a minute or so she gently placed the book back on the counter, open to a specific page of runes. ¡°I don¡¯t remember the exact formation, but this section should have what we need,¡± she declared.

    The page was filled not only with general information about how to channel, and suspend a spell effect within an object, but appeared to have a comprehensive list of runes, and equations to explain the optimal placement of each rune. Every single spell required half a dozen runes, placed precisely, in order to prevent the spell from degrading.

    ¡°This is a lot more complicated than I expected,¡± I admitted. ¡°I¡¯m used to just painting a couple runes onto a stake and then pounding it into the ground. I didn¡¯t think there was so much to this.¡±

    ¡°You never learned sacred geometry? Or geomancy?¡± Agnes snorted. ¡°What exactly did they teach you back east?¡±

    ¡°Compound spell effects, and focused casting,¡± I replied. ¡°I admit wards were never my specialty, but it feels like I¡¯m staring at a lost art here.¡±

    Eliza frowned, ¡°What¡¯s focus casting?¡±

    ¡°Casting magic through an object, to improve the range and narrow the area of effect,¡± I explained. ¡°You know how witches use wands, and soothsayers use crystal balls in the stories? Those are focuses. I knew Clara didn¡¯t use one, but I thought it was just personal preference. You really don¡¯t know about focuses?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen them mentioned a couple times in the library, but nothing specific,¡± Clara admitted. ¡°Since they were scattered mentions, and never went into detail, I never thought it was important.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re very important for dynamic casting,¡± I mumbled. ¡°Since Thyra didn¡¯t mention it before I¡¯m guessing her Coven doesn¡¯t use them either. It¡¯s not important right now, they don¡¯t really help with creating wards, but I¡¯ll go over the basics with you later. They do make a serious difference in combat.¡±

    ¡°Well I, for one, hope we never need them. I understand the need to protect ourselves, but I trust in our wards. They¡¯ve been keeping us safe until now, and if this Graves company has been probing the parameter, that means they¡¯re not confident they can penetrate our defenses,¡± Harmony said, before pausing. ¡°That being said, I can¡¯t blindly place my faith in our defenses. I have a little girl to protect. It¡¯s always better to be prepared. So let¡¯s figure out what we can do to improve our defenses around the village.¡±

    Pulling a stool up next to Clara, Harmony immediately started a lecture on the strengths, and weaknesses of each rune, along with the effects that could be suspended within each formation. The more complicated the spell, the larger and more complicated the rune formation had to be to support it. It could take days, or weeks, to properly design and test a complicated pattern, but once we had one we could template it. I didn¡¯t think we had that kind of time.

    ¡°We need something simple, but effective,¡± I declared. ¡°Easy to implement, but effective defensive.¡±

    ¡°A wall then,¡± Agnes muttered. ¡°Detects incoming threats and creates a defensive structure. It¡¯d be a pain to remove them afterwards, but protects the village in the short term.¡±

    ¡°Excellent choice! Safe for everyone, if they¡¯re ever accidentally triggered, but gives the guardians plenty of time to mobilize if they manage to make it this far,¡± Harmony praised. ¡°If you give me a couple hours I can figure out the formation. Shouldn¡¯t be too hard, I can do it while I¡¯m waiting for the bread to bake!¡±

    ¡°Then all we need is the elder¡¯s permission to install them,¡± Eliza reminded everyone. ¡°But it shouldn¡¯t be that hard to convince them, right?¡±

    ¡°As long as I¡¯m not the one that has to do the convincing,¡± I said. ¡°Pretty sure Olivia still doesn¡¯t like me, and she might shoot down anything I suggest out of spite.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not that bad,¡± Clara muttered.

    ¡°Maybe, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth taking the chance,¡± I replied.

    ¡°I can do it. Adel and I go way back, she¡¯ll listen to me,¡± Agnes grumbled. ¡°She may not like change, but she¡¯ll do what¡¯s best for the people.¡±

    ¡°Thank you Agnes,¡± Harmony said, placing a hand on the older woman¡¯s arm. ¡°We appreciate it.¡±

    ¡°Bah! Just doing what needs to be done, like always,¡± Agnes muttered.

    As the woman pushed away from the counter, and slowly started heading towards the door, Eliza turned towards Clara and me.

    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Clara asked, turning towards me. ¡°I feel like we should be proactive, but I¡¯m not sure what we could do next.¡±

    ¡°Honestly? I¡¯m not quite sure. I feel like we could use some advice,¡± I said, pausing for a moment before turning towards Clara. ¡°And I think I know just who to ask.¡±

 Chapter 24 - Harsh Truths

    Clara brushed her fiery red hair back before throwing on her cloak and pulling up the hood. ¡°So, where are we headed?¡±

    ¡°To Annabelle¡¯s place,¡± I replied as I pulled open the door and held it for her. The streets were full of people again, going about their business. It was impressive how fast the village recovered after almost being destroyed by a cataclysmic force of nature.

    ¡°Why do you want to talk to Annabelle? She¡¯s a little out of the loop,¡± Clara asked, as we maneuvered around a couple of small groups chatting in the street.

    ¡°Even if she¡¯s out of the loop, she is one of the founding members of the community. She should know something. Besides, she and Lady Adel are twins; perhaps she can give us some insight on why Lady Adel distrusts the government so much. If the council had sent someone west, and reported what happened to Thyra to the authorities, the coven wouldn¡¯t be facing this threat right now,¡± I replied quietly. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose Lady Adel ever told you the reason the coven came all the way out here?¡±

    Clara shook her head. ¡°No, and I was far too young to actually remember the trip. I always assumed it was just to get away from the bigger, more established covens. To have some freedom.¡±

    ¡°I guess because you grew up within the coven, the reason they migrated out here didn¡¯t matter that much, until now.¡±

    Clara nodded quietly as the two of us slipped out the southern gate of the village. We swiftly made our way back down the trail to the crossroads, before heading up into the hills. Now that I knew what to expect, I paced myself better on the way up. By the time we arrived back at Annabelle¡¯s cabin, I wasn¡¯t even out of breath.

    Annabelle was sitting on the edge of the porch, smoking her pipe on the porch. As soon as she saw us, she waved lightly. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you girls again so soon. Did something happen?¡±

    I paused for a moment. ¡°A whole lot has happened. Hasn¡¯t anyone come by since yesterday?¡±

    ¡°The only ones that make the trek up here are either delivering supplies, or looking for medicine. Come, take a seat, tell me what¡¯s got you all riled up!¡± Annabelle declared, patting the porch next to her.

    ¡°Yesterday Clara and I went out hunting, and ran into a couple of goons walking the perimeter,¡± I explained as I made my way up to the house. Annabelle raised an eyebrow, but didn¡¯t interrupt. ¡°They were torturing a couple girls, forcing them to use their magic to test the wards.¡±

    Annabelle snorted. ¡°Sounds familiar.¡±

    ¡°It should; the goons were working for the Graves company. The same group that captured Thyra a couple of years ago.¡±

    ¡°So why come to me? She can probably tell you more about that bunch than I can,¡± Annabelle muttered.

    ¡°Because one of the things she told us was Lady Dyer wouldn¡¯t allow anyone to travel to the east, and report their actions. We were wondering if you could tell us why?¡±

    Annabelle leaned back, and took a long pull from her pipe. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, girls, but that¡¯s one bit of history I won¡¯t go into. Too many old wounds I¡¯m not willing to reopen.¡±

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    ¡°Even if it could help protect the Coven?¡± Clara asked quietly.

    ¡°Even then,¡± Annabelle confirmed. ¡°I will say this though: Experience has taught us that trusting the powers that be is dangerous. Even if we did send someone east, and that person somehow managed to contact someone high enough up the chain to get help, we have no guarantee that the government will intervene. And if they did, that they¡¯d be on our side. We¡¯re just a small coven caught in a backwater conflict; what incentive do they have to help us?¡±

    ¡°Graves stole the armor and weapon designs from the Witch Hunters, something they¡¯ve been very secretive about in the past. They¡¯d want to deal with that issue before it becomes a problem,¡± I pointed out.

    ¡°Oh, the government will probably want to deal with that issue sooner or later, but answer me this: what would benefit them more, dealing with Graves'' private army the instant they hear about it, or waiting until they¡¯ve finished the railway and taking care of them then?¡±

    Annabelle slowly rose from her chair and walked to the edge of the porch, where she turned her pipe over and gently tapped it against one of the supports to clear it out. ¡°We came out here knowing that if we got into trouble, we would be completely on our own. If those wannabe Witch Hunters decide they want to pick a fight, we¡¯ll give them one.¡±

    ¡°And what if we can¡¯t win?¡± Clara whispered.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll at least buy enough time for the younger members to escape. We do have a couple contingencies in place, in case the worst happens, but we¡¯ve also had twenty years to prepare. We won¡¯t go down easy, no matter what those low lifes throw at us.¡± Annabelle sighed, and slipped the pipe into her apron. ¡°Now, if that¡¯s all, I feel the need to lie down for a while. Thank you for coming today.¡±

    ¡°I suspect that Graves knows you''re sick,¡± I said as Annabelle turned back towards the front door, ¡°and that¡¯s the reason they¡¯ve become more brazen.¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know how that¡¯s possible. Barely anyone in the Coven knows I¡¯m sick,¡± Annabelle replied quietly.

    ¡°Almost everyone knows you¡¯re sick. They¡¯re just pretending not to since you¡¯ve been doing your best to hide it,¡± Clara declared.

    ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s extremely sweet of them, but it¡¯ll also make the next time I talk to any of them extremely awkward,¡± Annabelle muttered. ¡°So why are you bringing this up?

    ¡°Is there anything we can do to help? Anything at all? Your granddaughter went out looking for rare medicine, right?¡±

    Annabelle sighed and turned back towards Clara and me. ¡°I¡¯m afraid Dakota and Cheyanne went chasing after an old wives tale¡ªlizard tails have about as much medicinal value as a pile of dung. I would have burned that book they were reading, if it didn¡¯t have a decent section on aquatic plants. No, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m already treating myself with the best herbs we have available. I¡¯d probably already be cured if it wasn¡¯t for all the magic in my system. The same magic that¡¯s prolonging my life is also causing the tuberculosis to reproduce faster than the medication can kill it.¡±

    ¡°Right now, the disease is under control, and if I keep taking the meds, I should be able to keep it suppressed long enough for it to slowly die off, but if I get as much as a cold, the TB will probably take advantage of the shock to my system and grow out of control. It¡¯ll spiral out of control.¡±

    I looked at the woman, who looked a lot older and frail than she did the last time I¡¯d visited. She was afraid.

    ¡°I¡­ could try and destroy the disease within you,¡± I hesitantly suggested. ¡°My powers don¡¯t encourage growth, so they won¡¯t cause the TB to propagate, but I¡¯ve never targeted something that small before. I¡¯ve destroyed bullets, but never a disease. I could cause more harm than good.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate the offer, but I¡¯m fine for now,¡± Annabelle replied with a sad smile. ¡°There may be a day when I ask for your help, but not today. Now, I¡¯d love to stay and chat, but I¡¯m quite exhausted, and I¡¯d like to go lay down,¡± Anabelle declared. She turned once more to head inside, but paused long enough to say one last thing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t give you the answers you wanted, but hopefully I danced around the issue enough that you sort of understand our situation. Good luck dealing with those hooligans, and make sure you work with Thalia if you plan on doing anything to our defenses. My sister and I sprinkled a few surprises around, and I¡¯d hate for you to get hurt messing with something you shouldn¡¯t. Have a good day.¡±

    With that, she slowly made her way back to the cabin, closing the door behind her.

    ¡°Well, now I feel bad,¡± Clara mumbled. ¡°We came all this way, only to ask Annabelle about two sensitive topics and tire her out. We didn¡¯t even learn anything that would help us protect the coven.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not entirely true,¡± I declared. ¡°I was counting on the government intervening in this conflict, if they learned what Grimes was doing, but I was probably a little too optimistic about that. I¡¯ve only dealt with Witch Hunters from a position of strength, with an old established Coven at my back. We might be on our own, if Graves decides to attack.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t exactly fill me with confidence,¡± Clara said.

    ¡°Yeah, well, it¡¯s better to be realistic with our chances, and do the best we can than be overly optimistic, and come up short. That was my mistake. Come on, let¡¯s find Thalia and talk defenses.¡±