Witches Don't Burn, Silly

And Who is this Questionable Specimen?

I have been traveling for a week. My horse, I decided to name her Hazel, is no longer spooked by my magic or my gecko. I sit on the mare as she trots along the road. I focus on turning myself invisible. I can now make my whole body invisible for five minutes. I try to start making the objects invisible at the same time but it splits my concentration too much.

The next town is a two day ride away. All the towns that I have been to so far were very big on burning witches. My stomach twists at the thought. If my name and face spreads there will be no way to find lodging. I rub my temples. I'm still a week worth of travel away from the coast.

What if this whole trip is in vain? What if they try to burn me there too? I will have wasted so much time. I shake my head and try not to think about it. I just need to find somewhere safe. Somewhere I can open a bakery.

The thought of my bakery makes my heart ache. If I hadn't been a witch I would be in my newly opened bakery. I would be baking cakes and cookies. Making tea and hiring the other women of the village so they could have a good job too. I could make part of it a herbal store. I can sell my tea and have it be like a cafe.

I could employ women so that they can have a way to take care of themselves. There are so many things I wanted to do. I wanted to bake and make tea and make my name spread everywhere so people would come from all over the world to try my teas, pastes, and baked goods. I sigh and focus on the road again.

We keep going at a steady pace until night falls. We pull to the side of the road and I heal my horse. I get rid of all of Hazel's fatigue and aches. I brush out her mane. Sally sits on my shoulder and watches. I give them both water and feed my horse while Sally eats bugs nearby. I munch on an apple as I climb back into the saddle and we start going again.

We reached the town at midday. Something made my skin prickle the second we got into the town. I dismounted and led my horse to a watering hole as I sold some of my pastes. I felt chilled to the bone as I saw a large group of women whispering.

"Did you hear?" One woman whispers. "They caught the poor girl and threw her in the dungeons!"

"But she is just a child!" Another whispers urgently.

"Don't let the witch hunters hear you say that!" Another one says while looking around in fear. Witch hunters? Oh lord.

"I heard they put her twin brother in there with her to burn at the stake too!" They gasp collectively. "All because he was trying to take care of her."

"They called him a witch sympathizer. I think he is just a baby that doesn't understand."

"Why haven't they burned them yet? Locking children in a cellar doesn't seem very humane!"

"Do you like eavesdropping in unfamiliar towns?" I just about jumped out of my skin. I turn around slowly to face the origin of the voice. "Didn't mean to frighten you there." He was huge! A giant among men. He flashed a crooked smile but my heart pounded in fear and rage.

"Do you like startling young women?" I hissed back and crossed my arms over my chest as I leaned against the wall. He chuckled and it was warm and welcoming but the hair rose on the back of my neck. All that anger and disgust I felt were multiplied in the presence of this man.

"Not normally, no." He smiles. It was a pretty smile. Perfect teeth balanced with a crooked smile that looked almost like a smirk. He pushed his dark curly hair out of his way. He was finely dressed. A knight crest on his chest but instead of just the two swords crossing, it also had a black heart that they were stabbing through. "Do you not recognize the crest?" He asks. His breaches and long sleeved button up were crisply pressed and so white that the sun reflected off of them.

"No, sir." I spit. I felt enraged and had to wrestled with my magic to keep it under wraps. I had a feeling that if this man found out what I was I might actually die.

"Where is your husband?" I sigh in frustration. Why does everyone ask me that? It's not like I am the first girl my age to not have a husband.

"I don't have one, sir." I hissed.

"Oh, a young maiden, traveling alone, that's new." I stare hatefully into his eyes. They were a beautiful golden brown. "What's your name?"

"Mariposa."

"What's your last name?" He kicks up a single eyebrow as he looks at me.

"Why does that matter?" I grumble. I rubbed my temple and pushed past him and stroked my mare's coat.

"Ah, so you ran away from home." How does he get that just from me not telling him my last name? My heart starts to beat faster and a drop of sweat falls down my face. I take several deep breaths and turn around.

"What about you, what's your name?" I glared at him. My heart was racing. The group of women were now staring at us. What was I missing right now?

"Seth." He leaned a shoulder on the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. The group of women scurried away in fear. I stared at this man with intrigue.

"What is your last name?"

"I have never had one." He says it coldly.

"What is it, exactly, that you do, sir Seth?" My heart was pounding in my ears. I was afraid but I didn't let it show.

"I'm a witch hunter." My heart plummets and my fear skyrockets. "I am here to keep people like you safe." No, you aren't. You are here to kill people like me. "Are you curious why the vile creature was locked up instead of killed immediately?" He asks about what I had overheard earlier and my throat dries up.

"Yes."

"This girl is a dark witch. When her dad died she brought him back as a skeleton." I swallow. I didn't know magic like that was possible. "Of course, we can't let a good man's peace be disturbed like that. The elder council is unsure of how to deal with her since she is so young."

"What about the brother?" My throat was hoarse. I was afraid for this poor girl. She was probably afraid. All she wanted was to be around her dad.

"The brother didn't report this. He also fought with the guards when we tried to take her away. That is against the law here, Mariposa." His eyes were dark, as if he regretted putting the poor boy in a prison cell. "I am on my way to get my update on the situation right now. Then I have my shift, guarding the cell tonight." He looked at me carefully. "Did I answer your questions, my lady?"

"Yes, sir." He nods and starts to walk past but stops.

"It is best if you stay out of the situation. Don't even talk about it otherwise you might be burned at the stake with them."

"Don't worry about that from me." I wouldn't just talk about them. He nods and leaves. I pulled my horse to the edge of town and got to work preparing.