A Witch's Game | ✓

Prologue

Six hundred years ago.

A lightning flash ripped through the sky, followed by a loud rumble enough for one to unbalance oneself. The illumination gracing the earth lasted a few seconds, then retrieved to its gloomy aspect. The cosmos screamed out its emotions in the form of a downpour, weary of encasing it within the clouds, losing its vitality. Crystal raindrops shimmered, seemingly as fresh as a wound on a human skin.

The wind whipped against her, hair flowing behind in the breeze as it tested her patience that nature presumed wouldn't last long. The frigid raindrops could only calm her mind, smoothly drizzling off her obsidian hair, glossing it, yet her burning skin spoke otherwise as a thin line of warm blood dripped from her clenched fist.

Katherine sat on the dewy ground, sinking slightly due to the pressure as she closed her eyes. The water blob clinging onto her lashes finally fell, trickling down the skin of her cold cheeks. Her chest burned in anger, thus hot tears rolled her cheeks, her eyes flew open as she stared at the world through hooded eyelashes. When the solidarity of night envelopes the village, she finds herself falling into the arms of taunting glares and heart ripping insults.

Another thunder, another illumination, rattled her bones, this time lasting more than expected. A voice laced with a promise and a claimed to fulfill her three aspirations resonated within the hollow sky.

As if a flame was awaiting to strike, she parted her dry lips as she spoke, greed seeping into each corner of her heart.

"I want to drown in all the luxuries known to mankind."

She opened then closed her mouth, reluctant to announce her second wish as she glided her tongue over her lips. But as horrible memories began to flash before her eyes, she answered, loud and clear.

"I want to become a very famous queen of witchcraft."

"Granted. What is your third wish, my dear?"

Katherine paused, brows furrowing in search of an answer. After all, she was never the one to ask for things, causing her to seal her lips. She didn't know what she wanted and now that she thought about it, what was the point of doing all of this when she herself wasn't aware of what she desired.

She left her last wish untold and without a single whisper, the beaming sky became pit black, cracking and melted into an abyss of secrets.

A vicious smirk formed on her lips and after that day she actually showed the world that she was not called Katherine Anderson for nothing.

Day by day, she possessed many villagers, making them witches and her slaves forcefully. The people of Crisalyus still tolerated her execution, but her next target was something they just couldn't digest, like an irritating lamp one's unable to swallow. She, who belonged on roads, wished to marry the King of Crisalyus, King Christopher Smith, who was already married to Queen Georgia Smith.

The news spread in the palace and to the King. He did not want to marry a witch, for he did not want an evil woman to rule his kingdom. And what if she kills the love of his life, Queen Georgia Smith? He would die alive if that ever happens.

So Christopher lured Katherine. He made her believe he would marry her, but on the day of their wedding, Christopher threw her in the dungeons, catching her off guard. The one who took Katherine there was Mason Harries, her own right hand, the one who worked for her and not to forget her best friend.

Katherine cursed Mason of being immortal; he won't die until Katherine herself kills him. And everyone took a sigh of relief after the disaster but what they didn't know was that Katherine knew all of it; she knew everything before it even clicked in their mind. She wanted them to make a mistake of betraying her, and they did.

She called the ones who claimed to complete her three wishes, smirking as her third wish was still remaining.

The dungeons' lit up and voices echoed and after she announced her third wish, which they granted, something horrible happened in the dungeon. Which brought the whole palace's attention. King Christopher, Queen Georgia and everyone came into the dungeon to see what happened. The next thing they saw swept the floor off their feet.

Katherine Anderson killed herself.

"And that's how the queen of witchcraft, Katherine killed herself." The silver book shone under the flickering flame of the wooden fireplace as Marilyn flipped the last page of it. She then stared down at her child whose green eyes sparked curiosity. Marilyn bent down, levelling herself the same and poked the child's puffed cheeks.

"What happened, Priscilla?" Marilyn asked. The child who sat on the white fur mattress tilted her head and pouted.

"Why did Katherine kill herself?"

Priscilla spoke in a low voice as she herself knew that the dawn had already approached, and so the twilight will.

Her mother had already given her the little gift of storytelling for topping the exams in her school, and being obedient for a week, she couldn't ask for more.

The heat of the fire stroked Marilyn's skin, and she pulled the blanket closer to her chest. It was just the start of October, and she already felt like dropping herself on the bed. But she couldn't, at least not for the sake of her daughter. Priscilla had been requesting Marilyn to tell her the story of the queen of witchcraft Katherine.

She knew that her child would ask this question but, she also knows that Priscilla is very sweet, and if her mother would tell her that she herself doesn't know the answer and that it is a mystery she will accept it without any doubt and will close the chapter.

"I don't know sweetheart, maybe she thought that she shouldn't be this evil and cruel, so killed herself." Marilyn gave the answer but it seemed lame to Priscilla.

She knows her mother would never lie to her and she believed it when Marilyn said she doesn't know the answer but, she just couldn't shake off the feeling of wanting to know more.

"Okay." Marilyn smiled at her child. She then took Priscilla in her embrace, and walked towards her bedroom while singing a lullaby.

Marilyn laid Priscilla down on her bed. She chucked the door before going to the fireplace, again. Marilyn picked up the book. The book had a silver design, and there was the queen of witchcraft Katherine Anderson written in golden color.

Why was the book design so beautiful, when the person in the story was so evil? She dug her nails in the book.

"If it was not my daughter's happiness, I would have never read this book." Marilyn spat those venomous words through gritted teeth and threw the book in the burning fire and watched, until it turned into ashes. She doesn't want her kid to get involve in such things.

Priscilla won't be able to go into any library because kids are not allowed there, and by the time she will be an adult she will herself forget about the story and move on.

Priscilla had many questions, which were unanswered. Why Katherine killed herself? Who were the ones claiming to complete her three wishes? Was it so easy to become a witch just by sitting in a forest on a rainy day?

If Katherine cursed Mason of immorality until she herself kills him is it possible for him to be alive. The library in her school doesn't allow anyone to step-in under eighteen.

Priscilla slapped her forehead and then counted on her tiny fingers. The answer she got frowned her more; she was only five. But that couldn't blow the shining spark inside of her. It's just thirteen years more to go. She can wait. She will wait.

Little did she know there was more to the story than written in the book.

~~~

Author note: The story written in italic is what was written in the book but Marilyn told Priscilla an entirely different one except for the ending.