The Wiches Road : A christmas story

Torsåker, 30 of march of 1675

The next morning, armed with the information provided by Ivana, authorities raided the homes of the remaining witches. Brigitte Rosenkrone af Lilleström, Fergus Ní Chléirigh, Elizabeth Whirley, Björk Móradóttir, Amalia Estevez, and Gabriela Fiorescu were arrested on charges of witchcraft, atrocities against human nature, and conspiracy against the Church. In the improvised court, each faced specific accusations: Brigitte, for conducting divination rituals, leading a coven, and performing pagan ceremonies that threatened Christian order; Fergus, for bringing heretical practices from Ireland and spreading witchcraft among the locals; Elizabeth, for using potions and spells to manipulate people's will; Björk, for being in a relationship with a woman; Amalia, for practicing healing and using herbs deemed forbidden by the Church; and Gabriela, for communicating with supernatural entities and having had sexual relations outside of marriage.

During the trial, even without their powers, each of the accused uttered curses upon the inquisitors. Brigitte declared that magic would return and they would be avenged. Björk proclaimed that all children and descendants of the inquisitors would fall in love only with witches, sorcerers, and vampires. Elizabeth foretold that those condemning them would experience the pain they inflicted, multiplied sevenfold. Fergus declared that the lands of their oppressors would become barren, and their harvests fruitless. Amalia pronounced that the health of those judging them would deteriorate, and no cure would bring relief. Gabriela prophesied that the nights of the accusers would be plagued by endless nightmares. The accused's words echoed throughout the courtroom, leaving behind a heavy and unsettling atmosphere. Despite the curses, the inquisitors pressed on with the sentences. The executions were scheduled for the next day, and news spread quickly throughout the town, instilling fear and curiosity among the inhabitants.

Ivana, observing from a distance, felt a mix of triumph and remorse. She had achieved her revenge, but at what cost? The words of her former coven sisters resonated in her mind, and an unease began to grow in her heart.

After the execution of her former companions, Ivana Remova believed her betrayal had gone unnoticed. But nothing escaped the watchful eyes of the gods of the ancestral lands. The local community, still consumed by the fervor of the witch hunts, continued to seek culprits. Rumors began to circulate, and suspicious glances turned toward Ivana.

One night, as Ivana walked through the narrow streets of the town, she was confronted by a group of armed men. Without ceremony, they arrested her on charges of witchcraft. Desperate, she tried to explain that she had collaborated with the authorities, but her words fell on deaf ears—after all, who would believe a woman?

In court, before the inquisitors, Ivana pleaded for mercy, revealing her betrayal in hopes of saving herself: "Please, I am one of you!" But the inquisitors, unyielding, responded with disdain: "You were born evil. Kill this abomination. She should have been destroyed the moment she breathed the air of the vilayets (modern-day Bulgaria)."

Without delay and amid jeers from the crowd, Ivana was led to the stake. As the flames consumed her, she realized, too late, that her betrayal had not protected her. The community, blinded by fear and superstition, made no distinction between the guilty and the innocent. Ivana met her end in the same flames she had helped kindle, a victim of her own treachery and the relentless persecution that gripped Europe.

She was never afraid of God, but she always feared men.