The Witch He Loved

Chapter 6

My attention is on the man huddled in the corner, my arm raised out toward him, a wisp of purple gliding from my fingers and over to him, straight into his mind. 

"Good, now focus on finding his memories, sort through them until you find what you are looking for" Mother speaks from across the room. 

I'm not sure how much time had passed since I had fallen asleep, I hadn't really had chance to figure it out either. 

After we had both rested, Mother had quickly started training me. She had shown me how to communicate in someone else's mind but also how to listen to their thoughts without showing a hint of magic. Most minds were easy to break through but for the few who had trained themselves to have stronger barriers, they were harder or near impossible. 

Next was dream walking, it had taken a lot longer to get the hang of but it was pretty easy now I knew what I was doing. I could pull someone out of their own dreams and into one of my own design, changing everything, from landscapes to the smallest of details.

After that she had brought me to different people, teaching me how to enter their minds and walk along their memories. I learnt how to mend them, it wasn't possible to get rid of a memory but I could reshape them, silence them and make small adjustments. Easing reality for the owners. 

It wasn't easy though. It took time, energy and all my focus.

I took a small breath and let myself slip into his mind, a million memories flash in front of me, I stretch my arms out, everything calms until they all come to a stop. 

I look over his mind to try and find the problem, the golden thread that keeps memories in order was still connected and didn't appear to be damaged. 

I walk along them, trailing my hand over them lightly, feeling the different textures. The happier the memory the softer it felt, like feathers tickling your skin, the worse the memory, it became jagged, rough and sharp.

Given that the thread was intact I knew it was a memory I was trying to find and given the state we had found the man in, I assumed it was the worst. 

Walking through a persons memories was like watch a film of their life, it took a lot from me though, I felt the emotions they did, good and bad, but I was also aware they weren't my own.

 It's only when I'm nearing the end of the line that I stop, feeling something sharp against my fingers, I take a small step back and train my eyes onto that one memory, the moment where this mans mind broke. 

It flashes gold as I inspect it and suddenly we are in it, I'm watch from this mans side.

The banging in the middle of the night waking up him and his wife. The panicked expression she gives when he gets out of bed picking up the bat that leans by the door. He creeps down the stairs following the voices of men, threatening them and confronting them. A robbery gone wrong. In the next moment he's on the floor, his wife cradled in his arms, her body going limp. The sobbing noises coming from him over the sound of sirens shatters your heart.

Coming out of the memory I pull it from the rest, collapsing it in in hands quickly. It turns into little golden droplets as I cup my hands, I push my thoughts into it, changing it. She still dies but instead of the tragic incident they go through she passes in her sleep. I put it back with the others and let out a breath.

Pulling back into my own mind I drop the connection, my body slouches against the wall as I try to keep myself standing, breathing heavily. 

"You did it" Less than a whisper, I hear it anyway, looking over to her. She clears her throat and stands up a little straighter. 

"It's time for us to leave." Flicking her wrist out the meadow materializes around us. With the wall I had been leaning on no longer there to support me, I fall backwards onto the soft grass.

"That... Was not as easy... As you made it out to be." I huff out between breaths, the energy it had taken had left me feeling more exhausted than I had since training had began. 

"No, but you handled it very well. You are physically strong daughter, as is your mind most of the time however, the strain that comes with memory walking takes it's toll if one is not careful." She pauses and I look over at her, still sat comfortably but a small frown sits on her face like she's debating with herself. 

"What is it mother?" I push myself into a sitting position, concern overpowering my tiredness. 

Her eyes flick to mine, looking over my face before settling back on my eyes. 

"It is going to take a great deal for you to help your friend. You need to take it slowly, do not try to do it all in one go." Her tone serious, it's more of an order than a warning. 

I swallow and nod at her.

She stands gracefully and walks over to me, holding out a hand to help me back onto my feet. 

"It is time for you to return Katherine, I have kept you here too long already. You have done well in your training" She puts her hands on my shoulders and I feel some of my energy return. 

"Be careful and be safe. Look after yourself and remember what I have taught you. Practise but do not push yourself too far with this, not until you are used to it" She warns once more.

"I understand mother, I will be careful." I give her a reassuring smile and she smiles back at me

"Goodbye my child, if you need me, just call for me" I give her a nod as her hands cup my face.

"Goodbye Mother" 

Her lips touch my forehead and I'm sucked out of the meadow, feeling the softness of my bed below me. 

My eyes flutter open and I turn my head to the windows, seeing the darkness outside. 

How long have I been out? How is it still night?

Pushing myself into a sitting position I look around the room. There are tubes connecting me to medical equipment, quietly beeping in the background. 

I frown and start to pull tubes out of myself, not paying attention to the machines as they start to beep louder. Just as I'm pulling out the last one from my arm the door to my room swings open fast enough to hit the wall beside it, creating a sharp bang. 

Tony comes running into the room, he stops at my bedside pressing buttons on the machines, clearly not noticing I'm awake and sat up watching him.

He slaps the side of one of the machines before turning to another one, muttering to himself about stupid machines. 

"Erm... Tony?" I speak quietly, my throat feeling dry and rough.

"Just hang on a minute, I'm trying to figure out what these stupid machines are telling me" He huffs out, annoyance and tiredness evident in his tone, he doesn't even glance at me as he continues hitting the top of one of them. 

Rolling my eyes, I cross my arms and lean back against the headboard. 

"Might have something to do with them not being attached to me anymore" 

He stops pressing buttons and looks over to me, his eyes run over my arms before he looks down at the tubes that are now scattered around the floor.

Rubbing his chin with his hand he picks up one of them and inspects it. "Well how the hell did they just fall out?" 

He looks from the tube in his hand to me and back to the tube. I feel a smile tugging at my lips at his stupidity and watch as his whole body seems to freeze up in realization. The tube drops to the floor as he lets his eyes fall to me once more. 

"You're awake." 

"Are you sure? You didn't seem to notice" I'm holding back a grin at this point, trying to contain the laughter inside me. 

"Yes well, Just because you spent two weeks sleeping doesn't mean I have."  He huffs at me.

My smile disappears as my jaw drops open. 

"Two weeks?!"