The Witching Hour

Ch. 8

Connor

The warm sun rose the next morning, yet the wind was constant and strong and caused it to feel as a chilly autumn day. Connor got out of bed and was already missing his sister as he woke up and got himself ready for the day. He understood the importance of her journey, but still could not help but wish he had more than a day to spend with her after all these years. He put on his boots and finished getting dressed as he made his way downstairs to join Lydia for breakfast.

"Good morning, Lydia" he said, nodding and taking an apple from the fruit bowl in the kitchen.

"Morning, darling. I will make you some breakfast soon, I have to go to town for more food today." Lydia replied and grabbed her basket.

"I can do that for you, Lydia. You have been doing a lot lately and need rest. Plus, it'll give me something to do." Connor added with a smile and took the basket from Lydia, who gave a smile and an eye roll.

"Alright, love, perhaps I do need to take it slightly easier for a bit. Make sure you take your vest, you'll catch your death with this wind today." She said, taking the apple from Connor and biting into it.

He smiled and grabbed coins and a few things to trade with then took off towards the marketplace. Despite it being early in the day, the market area was already filled with it's usual people. Connor did not exactly enjoy such large crowds, but made his way to the vendors without any problems. He traded some beads and leather he had collected for flour and wheat and put them in the basket.

"How much for him?" He asked, pointing to a chicken in a cage.

"She is 3 copper pieces, my friend." The merchant revealed herself to be a female as well by lowering her hood and curtseying slightly. She had rich, dark brown hair and appeared to be much older than Avalona or even Lydia.
"However, I can read your fortune for free, my handsome soldier." She said with a smile and gesturing to the setup on the table behind her. There was a crystal ball and cards with unusual designs drawn on them. Connor did not believe in anything like this, but then again a few days ago he did not believe he was a warlock.

"That's ok, madam. Just the chicken for my supper tonight will be fine." Connor replied with a similar smile to the woman's.

"As you wish," she held out her hand to receive her payment. Connor went to hand her the coins but when their hands touched both he and the woman gasped and backed away from each other.

"Why," she said with a forced chuckle, "that was highly unusual."
Connor nodded in agreement and stared at his hand. He had felt a slight spark that tingled his arm when he touched her hand. He had only felt this once before, quite recently in fact, when he touched the falcon statue to his palm.

"Friendly advice then, boy, if you do not wish to try my fortune telling. Run." She said, staring directly into Connor's eyes.
Connor was going to question her about what she meant but then he suddenly heard the loud cries of various townsmen.

"The Red Guard!" Several of the men yelled as the King's awful soldiers ran through the town on their black stallions. They wore black and red armor and each had a sword and bow and arrows. Connor counted at least 10 of the Guard charging through the city and turned to warn the fortune teller. However, when he looked back, she and her possessions were already gone. He started to panic and took off towards his home. He had to get back as fast a he could to warn Lydia. He ran fast but one of the Guard ran past him and the force and speed of the horse threw Connor to the side. The Guardsmen, the captain by the looks of it, did not even hesitate or slow down in the slightest. He ran straight through into the center of town, trampling any unlucky soul in his way.

"People of Eversong!" He yelled out,
"King Leonidas and Queen Anthena Nitehardt have declared this town be cleansed for conspiring with the devil." He aimed his sword up towards the heavens and his soldiers all drew their bows. He lowered it slightly, aiming it at the busiest part of town and the soldiers lit the tips of their arrows aflame.
"We shall cleanse you not with water... But with fire!"

And with that order the solders all fired their arrows so high into the air that it appeared they were trying to burn the sky itself... But then they began to fall.

One by one, each arrow began to strike the earth, houses, and even a few poor souls as the fires ignited and started to spread throughout the town. The strong winds, instead of blowing out the flames, only succeeded in spreading them easier and further. Connor watched in horror as he heard screams around him and his village began to burn. He got up and quickly ran off to go protect Lydia, who for all he knew could be sleeping because of his suggestions to her. He saw more soldiers run into town, some on horses and foot, and knew they were the army of the Red Guard. He saw them begin to kill randomly, striking down any man, woman, or child in their way. Within a few moments, Connor could not tell if the town was red with flames or blood. He made his way back home and saw an arrow in his yard that had begin to burn the grass and bushes. It would only be a matter of time before the flames caught onto the house. He saw two of the Guard's horses left outside the house and knew that meant they were inside. He ran quickly but quietly into the house, as not to alert the soldiers yet. He saw Lydia inside fighting to break free of one of the soldier's grasp. The other already lay dead on the floor, bleeding out from his neck.

"You'll pay for that you wench!" The Guardsman said as Lydia scratched his face deep enough to draw blood. He stumbled back and Connor saw his moment of opportunity. He picked up the sword that lay next to the dead soldier and quickly stabbed the Guardsman through his back. He yelled out in a mixture of agony, shock, and defeat, before collapsing to the ground. Connor looked up at Lydia and for a split second saw something in her eyes that he had never seen before, and he was almost... Scared of her.
"Lydia, are you alright?" He asked.

"I am fine, Connor," She cried, embracing him, "we must leave now, the Guard will burn the whole village down!" Even as she spoke, the crackle of flames echoed throughout the house as it began to be taken by the fire. Lydia and Connor rushed through their home and got as many things as they could in their baskets and then Lydia got on the Guardsman's horse.
"Come, Connor, take the other one and lets go!" Connor nodded and mounted the stallion, but before they took off he heard a cry in the distance.

"They're escaping! After them!" Connor didn't have time to have one last look at his home as he and Lydia rode off as fast as they could. They took off in a cloud of dust, the sound of more horses not to far behind them. They rode together and Lydia nodded at Connor with a calm and determined presence, restoring some hope in him. They fled as fast as their horses could go, leaving Eversong behind them as the cackle of fire and smell of smoke filled the air and turned the skies red.