Lia has not felt well for the past four days. It first started with a negligible ache in her joints, something she attributed to a lack of proper exercise and rest. “With good food, a well-deserved break from mining, a proper massage session, a long overdue visit to the gym, and a good night’s rest to top it all, I’ll be as good as new in no time.”
The above list sounds good. Awesome even. She didn’t account for one thing, however- the fact that reality doesn’t always happen as planned. Actually, it NEVER happens as planned.
Four days down the drain, and she isn’t getting any better. She’s tempted to go for a check-up at the hospital but immediately shrugs off that thought. What would mere humans know about a witch’s body? No human can decode the physiology of a being of the supernatural world. Hence, all the tests would give messed-up values that would only create a barrage of questions. Her ‘lovely’ aunt or some of the Enforcer Witches would be given the responsibility of erasing that piece of information from people’s memory and ensuring that life continues as normal, without her in the picture. Even the deviant witches might be involved if it’s really bad- and it’s always really bad.
She concludes that all this isn’t worth a moment of false relief. Not to mention the world of trouble she’d be plunged into for that insensible act. It’s bad enough that I can’t properly use magic. It’ll be even worse if I ‘accidentally’ create more work for ‘them’ to fix. Not that anyone would believe it is an accident anyway.
By the fifth day, she knows she can’t hold on for much longer.
“Where is she? Why is she never here when I need her the most?” Lia is splayed on her four-poster queen-sized bed. The day her aunt left, she woke up to a handwritten note on her bedside table which read:
I have to leave for a little while, witchling.
But don’t worry, I’ll be back in a jiffy.
Keep studying, learning, and practicing,
My eyes are always on you, believe me.
Your favorite auntie,
Sandie.
Sandara Harrison is not a normal witch by any means- she literally isn’t normal. The way she writes her letters as lyrical poems are just one of several kinks Lia puts up with. Why does she refer to herself as my favorite aunt? I have only one aunt after all.
Another wave of pain assaults the young witch, bringing her back to the reality of the situation at hand. Gritting her teeth, she reaches for her go-to lozenge, Ricola™. The natural herb cough drops have over the years become a cure-all remedy of sorts, due to their soothing properties that also help numb any pain she feels. The even better news is that her body system, despite being weaker than the average witch, is able to neutralize the side effects of taking it in excess.
When her hand only grasps air, she remembers that she finished the last pack left in the house the night before. Frustration settles over her like a protective blanket, fraying her nerves and making her absurdly anxious. She ponders on the likely reason behind her aunt’s absence. Since the human realm is relatively peaceful and free of contrary attacks that can threaten its ensured existence and survival, she crosses out war or mortal issues.
Lia curses her weak witch genes and perpetual loneliness. She wishes she had a friend or something close enough. Maybe she would not feel so alone right now. Oh! The trials of a witchling in the mortal realm.
As Deidre settles down in her chambers, the words of the High Witch rings in her ears, like a song on repeat. I would advise everyone to be alert. Maybe we do not have substantive proof of the demons’ incursion. Perhaps it is simply a false alarm; the hallucinations of a dying witch can be a very tricky thing.
“Cunning bitch. She thinks she’s smart. Why doesn’t she say it straight to my face?” Deidre is filled with distaste at her leader’s choice of words, as she has never been one for diplomacy and veiled intentions. Maybe it is because she grew up in the wild, away from the politics present in all covens. While the High Witch did not disregard her observations and findings, she did not totally agree with it either. Why else would she send her sister here?
The Jade Witch is quite smart and powerful. More powerful than she was at the younger witch’s age, with the potential to grow even more powerful than she may ever be. Other witches would be busy with their affairs while the witch with the highest potential in several millennia is on the prowl within the outskirts of their coven. She’d come and leave as she pleased, and they’d be none the wiser.
Perhaps, if she were any other witch, she’d be none the wiser too. But she isn’t any other witch. The Silver Witch of the North, also called the Ice Witch due to her love for cold regions, did not get to her position by being like every other witch. She is anything but normal.
The normal witch would never willingly choose to situate her coven on the fringes of the mortal lands, where a frontal attack could lead to devastating losses. Even if she did, who’s to say that the High Witch would permit her? The members of the Witch Council would never unanimously agree to allow just any witch, powerful as they are, to guard the borders of the mortal realm. No normal witch would sit still after discovering that someone has entered their territory without permission and is even using her mental powers to scour the place for traces of demonic activity.
She doesn’t stop the younger witch from conducting her investigations. Maybe she’d find something my witches missed. Her intuitive abilities aren’t the best for show.