Witchlight

Chapter 2

***3 seasons later***

Today is my fifteenth birthday. My father elected to ignore it because it will only ever serve as a reminder that my mother is gone, leaving him to raise three children on his own. My father has never remarried in the seven years that his wife has been dead, the reason, simply because my mother is irreplaceable. She was sweet and kind and always managed to reign in my father's temper. Now there is no one to hold back his anger, and the scars on my back will testify that.

So other than my father ignoring me today, Rowan made sure the day was special. She did all my chores for me (I later had to go back and do them correctly) and she made breakfast for me (burnt bread and way to salty eggs). Let me just say that I fear for her future husband's life. But we did go down to the river and make wreaths out of the lilies that grew on the banks of the river. Daniel also made me the sweetest little necklace out of a pretty stone he found at the river and some twine. 

Now my family was asleep on their mattresses and I quietly made my nightly escape to the Emberwoods. Tonight the moon was full and lit the way to my escape. Everything was like seemed like every other night, drunk patrol guards and a silent village save for the breeze that shifted through my hair. I made it to the woods without a problem, but when I made it to the edge the fey didn't come out and greet me like they always did. Instead a path of glowing plants lit the way into the forest.

 I followed it deep into what would seem to be the center of the forest, and the there in the center of a clearing sat glowing orb of light that kept folding in on itself. The light seemed to radiate power and enough heat that even a blizzard could not have cooled it. As bizzar as the light was the scariest part was the old hag standing next to the orb as if waiting for someone. The fey danced around her so that she almost glowed as bright at the orb. The woman looked at me expectantly.

"Well, aren't you going to take it?" The old woman rasped at me.  I looked around me for the person she was talking to and then realized she was speaking to me. The old woman gestured to the light with her hand which was little more than skin and bone like the rest of her.  I gazed curiously at the light, pretty confident that either the old lady had lost or I had lost mine.

"What do you want? What is that light?" I questioned the lady, hoping that it was just a trick of my mind and that she would tell me I was crazy. 

"'Witchlight glow bright in the harvest moon,

Aitken fallen deep in a thick gloom,

Young witch pure of heart and brave of soul,

Claims the witchligh's powers as her own,

Powerful darkness will finally fall,

Witchlight's maiden protector of all' I've waited 300 years for you. Witchlight's maiden."

Then the old lady faded into the orb, I reached out to try and save her panicked that she might die. The orb began to spin and glow brighter and brighter, I could feel the power and energy bleed into my body. The itch that I usually got in my stomach when in the forest turned into an ache of pent up power wait to be realized. I started to float up off of the ground light emitting from all my pours overwhelming my senses. Then it was all over and I fell unconscious on the forest floor.

***line break***

When I came back late the next morning she received a beating from her father for not having breakfast ready on time and for going outside without his permission. After the hard blows to my back I set to work on the daily chores sweeping, moping, cooking, laundry, and walking a mile out the well to get water. All the while Daniel helps father in the shop learning the trade of blacksmith and Rowan was in town doing the shopping and all ways present gossiping. 

"Lily! Come take Daniel, he got his worthless fingers burned!" My father shouted. I rushed into the shop and took a crying Daniel into the kitchen to burn so cool water on the burn. All of a sudden, a feeling  in my stomach started to grow and spread to my fingers, healing Daniel's burn. He stopped crying and stared up at me in wonder.

"Papa, papa, come look. Lily healed my burn!" Daniel shouted in glee. I still sat there dumbfound at my new power, the powers had to have come form the orb from last night. My father came rushing into the room. He yanked up my brother's had and examined it carefully then he looked up at me.

"Daniel go to your room." my father said, strangely calm.

"But I don't want to, I want to stay with Lily." Daniel complained.

"Do as your told." Daniel scampered up our room quickly, not daring to cross my father. My father then turned to me and stated, "Your a witch." I wasn't a question, it was an accusation. He gazed at me ruefully.

I was dumbfound and still had a tingling feeling in my fingers. "W-what are y-you talking about?" I stammer out. I wasn't a witch, sure I had had some strange things happen to me in the Emberwoods, but in there, anything can happen.

"Your a witch just like your mother." My father sat down heavily, and looked up at me. For once since my mother's death he looked concerned for me. "She told me this could happen." All of a sudden my father was bitter and closed off again.

"Mother was a witch?" 

"Have you ever wondered why or how your mother died?" Not waiting for my response  he continued in a rage all of a sudden, "She was burned at a stake by Queen Ryia, the queen some how found out your mother was a witch and had her burned. You mother all ways feared that you would be a witch too." My father paused. "I just never believed her until now"

"But why mom?  I'm sure there are other witches around the world?" I struggled with the idea that someone would want to kill my mother because of something she was born with. Then I realized that I could be killed too.

"Because the queen is afraid of a prophecy."

"Wait would this prophecy have anything to do with a witchlight and it's powers?"

"Yes and the queen thought your mother was the witchlight maiden so she had her killed." I thought about telling my father about the light that I saw last night, but decided against it. My father would never understand why I was even in the Emberwood. Then all the event of the past night clicked in my mind. The orb from last night, it was the witchlight.

Which meant that I was the witchlight maiden in the prophecy.

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hey guys,

sorry it took so long to update I've been so busy this summer. As always I am open to feed back and ideas. I am also looking for some more characters so if u have one please give me their full name description of who they are and what they look like. As always my fav song of the moment will be at the top.

thanks,

pinkrainbow12