Evienne, Witch of Woodendale

Part 4: A Horrible Realization

When she came to, she knew what she had experienced just now was a repressed memory, probably brought to the surface by the extreme thwack she received on her head. Her head throbbed, fuzzy with pain and long-forgotten memories. She searched the room...Voidbane... where was Voidbane? She looked for a moment, feeling his presence near, but not seeing him anywhere. She took a silent breath in and took in her surroundings. A cave. It was pitch black, save for the dimly lit candles that were nearly at their death. Something huge lurked in the corner. And that's when she noticed it: a rank, damp smell that could overpower almost any nose. Troll. Lumbering, massive, and covered in warts, these beings had the capability to be nearly invisible in the shade, and just as silent. No wonder she didn't notice. She was too focused on her mushrooms, believing that a simple deer could have created the noise she heard. She silently berated herself under her breath as she carefully stood, then plopped back down onto the stone floor with a soft thud. Her vision swam in front of her eyes. She must've suffered a major concussion, as her head also began to throb in the spot she got hit. Evienne took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she rubbed her head, wincing as a new wave of pain blew through her eyes. Voidbane... wherever you are, be my eyes and ears. An image came into her mind of eight mirrors, all reflecting the massive being she was unable to see. There, in the corner was the monstrous troll, laying on his side and snoring very loudly. The mirrors shifted towards the exit, clearly visible as a small, dim light at the end of a long hall through the eyes of her spider friend. Guide me, friend. Help us out of this miserable place. Come to me. The mirrors shifted towards her, and she saw for the first time since she had awakened what a miserable state she was in. Blood covered her white shift, and her hair and dress were covered in twigs and mud from being dragged and manhandled by that horrible troll. Bringus was his name, so named because of his habit of taking villagers prisoner for weeks on end, and often they starved to death when escape wasn't possible. Voidbane crawled down the stony wall, finally descending down onto the shoulder of his soul companion via a long, silken thread. Take control, old friend. I can barely see... Evienne could feel blood dripping down her neck from the gash in the back of her head. Voidbane lifted a long, hairy, spidery leg and directed Evienne's body to walk towards the entrance, and it obeyed. She stood, taking uneasy steps towards the huge cave entrance, partially blocked by a large troll foot. Together, they went through the long cave, circumventing obstacles and troll toes alike, until at last they were outside under the starlight. They walked in this way a while longer, until the cave was clearly out of sight. She let out a deep breath that she had been holding, relieved that they were free. She knew that if she had been unlucky enough to wake up while the troll was awake, they would not have had any chance of escaping. Trolls could sleep for weeks on end, but in the same way, they could stay awake for months, making escape for their victims usually impossible. Evienne stopped, finally feeling safe enough to catch her bearings, knowing that by some sheer chance, luck was on her side.  She sat under a tree and leaned against it and began to go through her inventory. She had lost the invisibility potion in the tussle. Drat. She would need more mandrake root to make more, which was difficult to cultivate and even more expensive to buy. Her healing potions were all but gone, except for one. She downed it in one gulp, feeling a surge of energy rush through her veins. Her pain lessened, but was still going strong. She needed to make it back home in order to obtain more. Her mushroom basket and tools were missing, and it was likely that even if it had survived, that nasty troll Bringus probably ate all her beloved mushrooms. But- oh joy of joys. At last, some good grace from the heavens. "Here, Voidbane. Your favorite." She said, her pain evident in her voice.
He changed into a cat and sat patiently on the forest leaf litter, waiting for his treat. Evienne gave him a blood biscuit from her apron pocket, made from dried goat yogurt, bat blood, and boar liver, sprinkled with fairy dust. He gobbled it up in one bite, then began to grow. Being mostly spirit, it didn't hurt him at all. He grew slowly to the size of a tiger, then stopped. Evienne climbed on his back, clutching his soft black fur in her tired, bloodied hands. Take us home, old friend. You know where to go. Voidbane set off at a gallop, moving silent and swift as a night eagle through the deep, foggy forest.

The night air was rank and damp in the area surrounding the troll's lair. As Voidbane's soft footsteps cantered through the night, the sweet feeling of rest came, despite the pain in Evienne's head and chest. She drifted into a light slumber, her pained, aching fingers still clutching her Daemon's soft coat.