WITCH - The Queen

Chapter 71

Julia

Several harpies wanted to accompany her.

The group gathered by the river while Julia and her family dismantled the tent. Falk had offered to carry Finn. He assured them that he could easily carry someone for several hours and would be careful.

Finn agreed with the proposal. Marko less so. Pouting, he watched Falk flirt unabashedly with every harpy near him. Jane and Rosalie would take Tinke in a woven basket. Julia was fascinated by this possibility. The basket didn't look very stable, but Tinke assured her that it could withstand a storm.

"We should rest halfway along the river", the red-haired harpy suggested. "The road is long."

"Is there a way to rest by the river?", Julia asked. "We didn't see anything on the way there except cliffs." Something she didn't like to remember. "We only found a small cave where we stayed. But the cave was very small and narrow. We didn't see more opportunities to rest."

"Yes, there is a possibility. If you know where", Jane confirmed. "We know the way. However, it is a small detour."

As the group started their journey, Julia admired how the swarm of harpies glided effortlessly through the air. From the ground, they probably just looked like big birds at first glance.

After six hours, they rested at the bottom of a gorge, next to the river. Here, bushes full of sweet berries grew. They rested a bit, freshened up, and ate the berries before flying on.

After several hours, they reached the mountains of dragons. The harpies flew onto the river. Falk took Finn with him, while the two dragons flew to Blossom's cave. The harpies did not want to provoke a quarrel with the dragons. Therefore, they kept their distance, even if the dragons allowed them to cross their mountains. Jane had explained to Julia that their relationship with the dragons was still very icy.

"Julia!" Cleo ran towards her when Josef landed in front of the cave and Julia climbed off his back. Cleo squeezed her and showered her with kisses. "I was worried. Did everything go well?" Julia nodded. A family of dragons watched them curiously from their cave. A small dragon child looked at her through large, orange eyes.

Leopold, Marko, and Peter also greeted them, while the two dragons remained in dragon form. Charlotte also ran out of the cave, followed by Blossom and Hanna.

"Everything went wonderfully. Several harpies will accompany us", Julia said cheerfully. Blossom and Hanna welcomed everyone and then chatted with Fiete and Josef. Charlotte wanted to know everything about the harpies.

Then Pelle and Alwin flew in. The two took on human form and Pelle whirled Julia through the air. Cleo jumped back a step in shock.

"You're back! Luckily!" Pelle hugged Julia tightly. "All of a sudden I missed you terribly! Nothing like this has ever happened to me!"

Alwin nodded. "I felt the same way. I felt very strange."

"They both drove us crazy!", exclaimed Hanna, laughing. "Especially Pelle!"

Alwin nodded. "It was terrible. Out of sheer longing, Pelle didn't even want to be intimate with me. It was horrible. I'm deprived!"

Pelle sighed. "It was terrible! That feeling! Every fiber of my body was screaming! How could I have enjoyed something?"

Julia freed herself from Pelle's grip in amusement. "I'm sorry for both of you."

Alwin nodded. "Here comes Trixi!", he abruptly changed the subject. He pointed to a white dragon that was flying in. Trixi landed elegantly in front of the cave. She remained in dragon form.

"I see you've been successful, little witch", she grumbled, smiling, but in an eerie voice.

Julia nodded. "Yes. Thank you for letting Cleo and Charlotte stay here. And that we can come here with the harpies ."

"As long as the harpies stay at a distance..." Trixi nodded. "You are always welcome as guests. I hope you succeed."

"Thank you very much! I'd love to come back." Julia was very happy about the offer. When it was all over, she wanted to visit the dragons again. Also for Fiete and Josef. And now, for Pelle and Alwin too.

They said goodbye to the three dragons and flew to the harpies. Cleo and Charlotte flew on Alwin's back. Blossom had given them a rope with which they could hold on. She said she got a rope for free when she stole two cows from a farmer.

Marie

"How was it?" Elin wanted to know all about Marie's first experience in the field. The two sat on Marie's bed and wrapped themselves in her simple duvet.

"Exciting", Marie replied. "The soldiers were satisfied with my performance. Someone tried to flee with stolen gold jewelry and had to be arrested."

"What? A thief?"

Marie nodded. "A simple farmer who had stolen jewelry from the marketplace of a nearby town. Judging by his broken clothes, and since he ran away, it was clear that the jewelry was stolen. He was allowed to move on the streets because he sells vegetables at the market. And since the city was within the radius in which he was generally allowed to move. Especially for farms that are located outside of cities and villages, there are special regulations. And for small villages."

"Why did he steal the jewelry?", asked Elin sadly.

"I don't know. He didn't want to say it. He has only admitted the theft. It was I who finally caught him."

"That's great, Marie. You can be proud of yourself."

"Thank you. But still... The fate of the farmer doesn't get out of my mind. Maybe he wanted to provide for his family? Many things have become terribly expensive..." Her parents, although wealthy, also complained in their letters about the prices of many foods.

Elin wrapped her arms around her. "Yes. That's bad."

There was more that kept Marie's mind busy. On the way, they controlled a rich man. He belonged to the nobility and was therefore allowed to use the streets freely. The man was accompanied by his bound servant. Marie discovered several injuries on his arms. Wolves healed quickly. So the injuries were fresh. What had happened to the poor man?

Did his owner treat him badly? The sight of the injured wolf had shaken her severely. Who treated another person like that? Theo had never had such injuries.

Such a thing should be forbidden. The binding of servants should be prohibited. It did not lead to anything good. Only to violence.

No one should even dare to hurt Theo! If she could, Marie would free him from the binding spell. Him and his family. So that they could be free.

(c: sasi)