Sparkling Ivy

14

"Here I go again," Abi sighed. Her sandals crunched in the dry grass as she glided up the hill, winds pulling at her curls. The sun was high in the sky, its rays stinging the back of her neck. Abigale welcomed it. It sent a buzz through her. 

The witch was surefooted even as the sandy soil slipped dangerously beneath her sandals. It would only grow more treacherous. Callkis liked to test her people, liked to frighten them. Most of the terrain of the Wide Realm was like that; rocky precipices, tumultuous seas, fine soil and strong winds. No place for the faint of heart. 

Callkis carried something extra. A danger that rippled through every blade of grass, every chirp of a bird, every breath of air. 

Abi scanned the ground as she walked,  searching for the red tips of the kepselltrite mushrooms among the grass, the pale blue of the wallell berries. She had found a basket full of rorianne nestled in a dusty corner of her cottage, so there was one less thing to find. 

The world seemed quiet today, almost at peace. It was comforting. 

"Odd," Abi mumbled to herself with a smile, "Only a few days ago this place was strewn with bodies."

The Callkai had grown skilled with waste disposal over the long centuries. It was a common thing for intruders to come sniffing around for the island's sacred prize. It was even more common for them to be cut down as soon as their feet brushed the sand of the shore. Abi had a hand to play in that, although she doubted anyone suspected anything. The men were always eager to take credit for a kill. The very notion that a little witch was guiding their poorly aimed arrows through the eyes of their enemies was as good as a well-written comedy to them. 

It was funny really. Until Bruce caught on that she had a hand in the conflicts...and in friendly fire. It had been going so well too. 

Abigale sighed and veered to the left, jogging down toward a grove of old olive trees, their branches heavy with bounty. The witch smiled and knelt, eyes glittering as she spied a cluster of red gathered near one of the trunks. "Thank you Auxentios," she whispered to the nature god, hands delicately picking the mushrooms and placing them into her woven basket. "I will sacrifice something for you tonight."

She smiled and leaned against one of the tall trees, head arched to gaze up at its lush leaves. The summer wind rustled the branches softly, wafting the rich scent of olives down toward the village. Abigale pat the tree and pushed away, feet directed toward the forest beyond, heart stuttering a little. 

All her people knew that feeling; the spark of tension, anticipation, the air electrified with something old. Fools like Jason condemned the sensation. She could hear the fear in the man's voice still, remembered how his face had crinkled with dread. It feels wrong, Abigale. It is not a place for us. 

Abigale's throat closed up a little. She clenched her jaw, pushing down the ache of memory. "I'm almost there, stop psyching yourself out."

The soil gradually turned from the coarse sand to soft, velvety brown, accompanied by thick zoysia grass. Abi grinned anxiously as the forest formed around her; arching birch trees that blocked out the sunlight, a scattering of tiny yellow flowers, a few burrows here and there. Abigale trod around the trees toward the bubbling of the Phorcys stream. 

The girl glanced around, ears awaiting any sound that might betray someone following her. Nothing. Abigale swallowed and scampered into the awaiting waters. She hissed as bitter cold water enveloped her up to the knees, blue waters laced with flowery pond weed. Abi wrinkled her nose and marched on, legs splashing noisily. 

Not far now. 

It was an unspoken rule in Callkis not to enter the forest alone. Especially if you were a woman. Unfortunately for them, Abi didn't give a fuck. 

She had been raised on the stories of the wilds of Callkis. Tales that usually ended in someone becoming pregnant with a demigod or being torn apart by vengeful spirits that inhabited the deep places of the world. Abi figured it was the same back in the village, so what could hurt? Besides, in all those stories the heroes were attempting to retrieve something that most definitely wasn't theirs to take. Something Andriel Brave had entrusted the Callkai to protect. And Abigale defended it just the other day, so she was good with the god for now. 

Abi wiped the sweat from her brow as she pushed on, squinting at the banks for any trace of the blue berries she desperately needed. There was no option for returning to search in the next couple of days - Serpent spit took at least two days to brew and with Bruce riding her she couldn't risk Telemachus cracking and blabbing to her uncle. The last thing she needed was to be brought before the Ekkleisia. There was no doubt in her mind that they would find her guilty and exile her - or worse, make her marry some air-head muscle to 'tame her'. "With my luck it would be Jason."

"It would be lucky."

The girl froze, lungs clenching as a shadow approached her. A coy laugh. The witch sucked in a shaky breath and slowly turned. "Hello you pig-headed idiot."

Jason stood there, all charming smile and well-groomed hair. Not a lick of sweat, no heaving chest. Just heroic composure. It made her sick. He cocked his head, pale gold skin slightly flushed. "I thought you'd be happy to see me."

Abigale cackled, eyes narrowing to slits. "You're more stupid than I thought."

The young man smirked, brushing a hand through his shiny hair. "So are you."

He stalked to the bank across from her and lifted his chin. "If Bruce saw you now he'd throw you over a cliff into the ocean; so would the rest of the Ekkleisia."

Abigale glared and crossed her arms, skin on the back of her neck prickling. "I'm surprised you could follow me, seeming as this place used to make you run and scream."

Jason rolled his eyes. "You really don't know when to stop talking, do you?"

The witch spat at his feet, nose all scrunched up. "You think you'll intimidate me?"

"No," Jason sighed, smile returning. "But I think I can turn you in and get you thrown to the mercy of Llyr."

Abigale gulped, panic creeping over her. Oh fuck. Still, she did not answer, trying to conceal the fear rising up her throat. 

The man chuckled and outstretched a hand. "Get out of the stream and talk with me; maybe I'll decide to keep this quiet."

Every muscle in her hand recoiled as Abi took his hand.