The Witch's Love ( Book I of The Witch Duology )

Chapter One: Ominous

1001

The day I lost my family was the day I had seen her, fifteen years ago, when I was nine years old.
I was living with a junior Priest after that day, until he died of a disease, unknown to the world, when I had reached adolescence.
He had told me that they had found me lying unconscious outside the perimeters of Hazelwood City. I keep wondering how I had walked and reached the city outskirts from that dusty, smelly stable.
Since that day, when my mother left me in the stable to bring help alone, thinking I was safe, I have been nourishing the grievance against the evil.
It's insane perhaps. And I know no one would take me seriously if I told them that I determined to join the Warriors of Church Academy just to avenge myself. I had told the priest who brought me up after nine years of age; he did believe me, and said it's useless since the witch who had caused all those terrors had already been offered death by the Church.
But I did not intend to take revenge on her. That was not possible.
From every word that every possible person said, I had understood that it was only me who knew that there was the daughter. Still alive, in all probability. I know she is going to carry on her mother's legacy. I had secretly predicted that all that had happened fifteen years ago was soon going to happen again.
I was not wrong.

"Here, in your holy presence, I swear to fulfill the duty bestowed upon me, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will. I swear to bring before you the witch, and commit my life to this responsibility."
When these words had escaped my lips, I hadn't known that this job was actually never meant for me. In front of the altar, in the felt presence of God and the visual presence of the Father, kneeling down on the ground, palms resting on the hilt of our swords, and head bent down, I and my companion had taken the oath to present the Witch alive before the Church-the ultimate Voice of God, the medium through which He offers justice to all the wronged and punishes the treachery against the human life. With every bit of me determined to prove myself, I - Chris Evans -- the member of the Warriors of the Church, set out with my companion James Vogel on the hunt for the witch, who was being called the reason for the epidemic of plague that was presently ravaging Hazelwood City.

"I think it would have been better if we had agreed on bringing a guide with us." James said, busy pulling his horse through the mud. He grabbed the rein and pulled hard. The horse neighed and kicked his forelegs in the air.
"Do you think it's the right way?" He asked, struggling with his aggressive animal. "This place is so full of ghostly stuff."
I nodded absent-mindedly. My eyes were scanning Shelter Forest, the expanded hurdle between the city of Hazelwood and the village of Misthaven, our destination. It was just the beginning. And Shelter Forest deepens and darkens as you move on. The witch is said to have been roaming here last night, before we were appointed. We need to cross it and then can reach the other side, where the previous dwelling was found years ago.
There was dense fog that covered the surroundings like a shrewd blanket and tall trees that hovered like skinny giants. The rain was heavy today morning and we weren't expecting our journey to start with something that gave a bad omen.
"Chris?" James barked.
"Huh?" I looked at him, startled.
"What the devil are you thinking?"
Instead of responding, I jumped down from my horseback. My boots hit the mud with a squash.
"It's not possible to tread now." I said, "I think we should wait for dawn."
James's horse neighed again. He sighed, "Exactly, I don't think Dark Moon has any energy to move on now."
I tried with failure to suppress a hard chuckle. It was ten years since I met him on the first day in the Academy and my ears hadn't yet gotten used to the weird names James used to give to his horses.
He rolled his eyes, "Yeah, whatever. We need a fire. Think 'bout that Friend."

We collected some dead branches and dry leaves. James sprinkled kerosene on the little heap while I threw a burning matchstick over it. The fire raged up, bright red at its roots and a distant yellow at its arms.
James sat down on the ground as I took a few steps towards the way we were about to tread the next morning. "Shelter Forest has wolves." I said.
I heard him groan behind my back. "As if I'm a traveler. Don't speak. Come and eat. I'm hungrier than the wolves now."
He gasped with a loaf of bread in his hand as I span and drew my sword out of nowhere and held the tip with perfect aim at his neck. The emerald cross embedded on the hilt shone a yellowish brown in the light of the fire.
"Time for some Game." I smirked.
He moaned, "Aren't you hungry?"
"Hungry to play."
"Ugh! Stupid Kid!"
"We'll see who's the kid." My tone was challenging.
"Uh-huh." He took a bite of his bread and drew his weapon. "We will."
As soon as the words were said, my eyes caught a dark figure that swiftly stole through the forest behind James's back. I blinked. Did I really see something? Or was it just weird shadows that were made by the dancing flames of the lit fire?
Before any other thought could cross my mind, the movement of my opponent's sword reflected a bright light from the fire to my eyes and soon I was back to my senses, finding myself in a defensive posture, James's sword mightily forcing on mine. I threw my hand hard and he repulsed backwards.
"Not so easy." I said as I walked towards him and attacked on the right. The baffled guy hurriedly put on his defense. I changed to the left and he got me there too.
I saw the black movement again, this time nearer, and felt an uneasy sense of danger.
Before I could react, James suddenly turned the force towards me, very cleverly utilizing my brief flicker of mind. He was forcing on my sword again with his, the light from the fire reflected on the blades and a shrill sound reverberated through the forest from the friction between them.
Through the cross of the swords and the reflecting flashes of light, I saw her.
Standing just behind James, she had an uncanny, broad smile that curved her lips, a brownish robe that wrapped her figure. The fire behind her darkened her form and I couldn't feed in her features properly. But of course, I had stopped my defense all very suddenly and the inertia of James's sword made it come down on my right shoulder heavily. I cried out in pain.
"Whoa!" James stumbled over me, "What the hell was that!"
I grabbed my shoulder and felt the warm blood on my cold palm.
"Oh Lord!" He gasped, "I'm so sorry...are you...you need aid!"
My arm throbbing from the injury, my brain did not make out his words. I scanned the forest. I walked further in the distance I had seen her, ignoring James's calls behind.
There was nothing. Only the dark, cold forest and the thick fog. I wheeled around to face James.
"I saw her!" And from nowhere, I heard the morning bird chirping. I looked above.
Phoebus' fire had begun to touch the sky.
It was dawn.