While living peacefully with her beloved father, Lili Mause sees her life turned upside down. A man comes to fetch her to take her to the School of Bermuda, where she will learn magic. Lili proves to be a very talented witch and a truly extraordinar...
The girl watched as the adult crushed some herbs, put them in an old chipped cup, added hot water, and handed it to her.
"Here, wait a bit, but drink it while it's hot, it will do you good."
Lili simply nodded and took the makeshift tea he offered her. The warmth through the porcelain warmed her cold hands.
Summer was almost here, but the water in the marsh was still frozen, and the nights were chilly. Fortunately, while her clothes dried, the hermit's cloak kept her warm. It was quite thick and provided her with a comforting feeling. The drink, on the other hand, wasn't very good, but its warmth did her a world of good, so she drank it without complaining. Outside, the sounds of creatures echoed throughout the forest.
"You should sleep," advised the Hermit as he sat by the door. "At sunrise, I will guide you to the centaurs. Unless we encounter them on the way, it should take about half a day as they are quite far away, and the forest is very large."
Once again, the girl simply nodded in silence, lying down on the ground and curling up even more in the adult's cloak.
Lili only woke up many hours later. The sun was already high, struggling to pierce through the branches. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, noticing her clean and dry clothes next to her, but no sign of the Hermit.
So she got up, stretched, and put on her uniform and cape, glancing out of the earthen hut. Hunter was lying in front of her, and the Hermit was sitting at the edge of the ravine, holding what appeared to be a fishing rod made with whatever he could find. The chimera seemed to notice, or rather sense, Lili's presence and growled, which made the Hermit turn around, smiling upon seeing the girl.
"You're awake. Sorry, all I have to offer you for breakfast is fish, fruits, or meat... well... it's already noon. I thought it would be best to let you sleep a bit."
"Thank you, Hermit."
Lili went to sit, somewhat cautiously, next to Hunter, who was devouring a whole fish, while another one was cooking on a small campfire. The non-wizard finally got up to join them, offering Lili a basket of fresh fruits before checking the fish's cooking. They ate in silence, and then the Hermit stood up, inviting Lili to do the same. Taking the child's hand, he walked away from his small domain, accompanied by Hunter. They walked like this for hours. Thanks to Lili's cape, which still had the scent of the bubak despite her surprise bath, no chimera came to attack them. As for the other creatures, it was Hunter's scent that frightened them. The Hermit just managed to save the girl from being bitten by a Shapath, narrowly avoiding it.
After a whole afternoon of walking, Lili began to think that even the Hermit had lost his way in this dense forest. But just as she was about to mention it to him, he signaled her to be quiet and listen. Just a few meters away, they could hear children laughing.
"I will leave you here, Lili," said the Hermit. "The centaurs are unaware of my presence here. I know where they are because the trolls told me. Just keep going straight."
"Why don't you live with the centaurs or the trolls?"
"I don't want to impose the presence on beings who, at one time, swore their destruction. Don't worry about me, I'm doing just fine with Hunter."
The adult smiled and bent down to kiss the girl's forehead before gently pushing her forward. Hunter in turn approached to lick Lili's hand before stepping back and heading back, quickly followed by his human friend.
Lili sighed. She would have liked to spend a little more time with the Hermit. She mentally swore to come back and bring him with her next time. She started walking, humming to herself, to give herself courage, the lullaby her father used to sing to her.
"Can we find, in a child's glance, The innocence of an earlier stance? And softly soar, in slumber's trance, Towards the heavens, in a dreamy dance.
Listen to me, don't shed a tear, I'll be by your side, forever near. Look at me, don't have a fear, No one will harm you, my dear.
My little angel, my princess fair, My precious jewel, beyond compare. My darling girl, with golden hair, You're worth more than riches rare."
Singing this melody felt like a pang in her heart, suddenly reminding her of how much she loved her father, while her only desire now was to kill him. She stopped walking, the laughter reaching her from afar. She cried.
As the daylight slowly faded and Lili wiped her tears in vain, a noise made her look up. Before her stood a handsome man with yellow eyes and long black hair. Below his navel, his body continued into that of a white horse.
"What are you doing here, my child?" he asked in a gentle voice. "Are you a student from the Bermuda School?"
"Yes..."
"This cape... with this scent, I thought the bubak was nearing our village."
"It was given to me by him."
"How long have you been here?"
"Since last night..."
"Poor child, you're lucky to be alive. Come, I will keep you safe for the night, and tomorrow, I will take you back to school."
He effortlessly lifted the girl to carry her. They quickly arrived at a clearing bathed in the glow of the setting sun.
Small wooden huts were built there, open like stables, or with a simple leaf curtain to hide the entrance. Centaur children were still playing in the center, trying to imitate a few adults who were training for combat further away.
They all stopped when they saw the centaur return with the little human. Some women approached with smiles to hold Lili in their arms, bringing her to a stone table filled with fruits.
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