Heirs of the Gods

Ch 60: Hecatomb

Entering the witch's house should have been a sign of what was to come.

Dandelion passed through the narrow door easily, leaving it open for them to follow behind. When Ella went to pass, the threshold brushed the top of her head, making her duck her chin slightly. It was then she realised it would be a problem.

Blaise and Valren ducked their bodies at odd angles, shuffling in with their knees bent and their necks lolled to the side. When Aedion's turn came, it was evident that ducking wouldn't suffice.

The witch boy watched with gleeful malice as Aedion grumbled and bent at the waist, entering the cottage head first, wide shoulders bumping against the sides of the door. He straightened himself carefully, as if afraid to bump his head, and shot the witch a baleful glare.

The size of the tiny door turned out to be a poor representation of the home. The inside of the cottage was nothing like it seemed from the outside.

Tall, rounded wooden walls and high ceilings, draped with a myriad of fantastical plants and flower garlands. Their leaves squiggled and squirmed above their heads, as if alive. It was an explosion of vivid jewel colours, the darkest greens and the liveliest blues, oranges and bright yellows. It gave the home an earthy, balmy feel, pleasantly humid and fragrant.

From the outside, it had seemed like a minuscule little home, but it was more than decent-sized inside. Ella suspected some sort of glamour. She counted several oddly shaped doors and a warped, spiralling staircase that led straight into the plant-covered ceiling. Another glamour, she supposed.

Shelves upon shelves covered the walls, lined by all sorts of books, jars, potion bottles and strange items. A jar of glittering lilac liquid that gleamed like diamonds. A rattling porcelain teapot. A fist-sized eye that blinked and followed movement around the room.

On a far off corner, much like in Sulimona's potion lab, a giant cauldron steamed and bubbled, emitting a strange blend of aromas—sea salt, burnt paper, old leather and something steely.

"Unless you desire to be cursed for seven years, I wouldn't touch that, Double number one," Dandelion called sharply.

Val, who had been staring at a shelf with an awed expression and a hand suspended in the air, immediately dropped it, muttering a sheepish, "Sorry."

On the shelf stood a ship in a corked bottle, half-filled with water. Upon further inspection, the ship bobbed up and down inside the bottle, as if shaken by violent winds. On the deck, there appeared to be tiny little men, waving frantically and screaming soundlessly.

Blaise peered at the ship with curious, gleaming eyes. "Are they...?"

"Real? Why yes, Double number two." Dandelion tapped a thin finger on the glass, grinning wickedly when the men inside covered their ears.

"One should never make deals with the fae," he answered Blaise's unspoken question. "And under no circumstances should on ever attempt to cheat or harm the fae when the bargain goes poorly."

Blaise's eyes widened, and the witch boy cackled, pointy teeth visible as he pushed back a drape of coral silk, revealing a sitting area.

"Such innocence. Come now," he waved a hand to usher them in. "Sit. I'll be damned if I break code of honour by not being hospitable in my own home."

More draping silks and tassels surrounded the room, hanging off the walls in tones of coral, turquoise and gold. Hanging from the ceiling, two ornamented oil lamps bathed the room in a sweet, walnut-scented glow. A large round table dominated the area, surrounded by pillow-like pouffes, in tones similar to the silks. The whole set-up was ground level, squat and barely lifted off the floor.