Night Witch

Chapter 23

A growl came from Hans, deep and low. Karina felt her bones quake and the hairs on her neck rise up. "Hans," she tried to say, but the words were lost in the squeak of her voice. And she tried again: "Hans!"

She could hear something ripping, something tearing. He let out another scream, and Karina felt her heart beat even faster. Run, girl!

She couldn't--wouldn't--move. Hans was screaming, and she could hear something ripping. If any wildlife existed in the Forest of the Dead, it would have scurried away quickly. Hans was more fearsome than anything she'd ever seen, ever heard of.

Karina, I will never do an evil thing of my own self.

The idiot! He'd drunk the water by himself. Whatever he did, it was of his own conscience.

The thought, coupled by the tearing noise, spurred her into action. Suddenly she was flying, her feet pounding against the ground quickly. Thorns tore at her skirts, and she lifted them above the ground to avoid the thorns that grew thick at her feet. Her heart hammered in her chest, and her breaths came quicker than she would have liked--all the same, she was doing better than she was the last time she had sprinted in this Forest. But it wasn't enough. She could hear him behind her, howling and uprooting everything behind her. He was coming, and he was no longer Hans, and if everything in this Forest was the same, he was trying to kill her.

Sweat rolled down her back, yet she still felt incredibly cold. Her legs began to burn from exhaustion, but she had to get far, far away from him. His growls seemed to get closer and louder, as though he was a distant thunderstorm that would inevitably drench her and light her on fire with lightning.

What do I do where do I go what do I do Ancestors curse it! I need to go somewhere I need help.

Her eyes flashed with realization. Help. She had it, right in her pocket. Her hand jerked down to her hip, brushing against the feather. "Nyx!" she shouted with what little breath she had left.

Dark spots clouded her vision. Her stomach swooped like a DeadBird's flight, and she was plunged into darkness.

****

"Karina," someone whispered. She felt something soft on her face. "Wake up."

She woke with a jolt, covered in cold sweat. "Hans--he's not--that--Nyx!"

She heard a growl arise from Nyx's feathered throat, surprisingly reminiscent of Hans's. She flinched at the noise. "I told you," he said, as though through gritted teeth, "to be careful of your cohort."

She pursed her lips and refused to respond, any semblance of thanks dying on her lips.

"You weren't careful, Karina. Not of this warlock, not of your doll, not of your mother --not of anything."

The words stung like a slap to her cheek. "The--the doll? Lilith?"

"Is something far more dangerous than any other. You hear voices in your head--" He lightly smacked the side of it "--and those are hers."

She frowned, feeling a bit numb to the shock. "How could that be possible? Lilith has been my only friend ever since I was young."

"No, she hasn't. She--it--is a dark spirit. Once you gave her your emotions, you let her get inside your mind and start taking over. You need to extract her from your valuable mind." He sighed. "I'm sorry for my harshness. I'm just--exasperated." He sighed once again.

"How do I get her out?" she asked quietly. And then: "why can't I hear her here?"

"This is a place of the Night. It consumes the Night. That draws her out until you go back into the Light." She could almost hear Nyx thinking. "Go to Baba Yaga. She's on our side, though she goes a bit rogue at times; she'll help you get Lilith out."

"I--I'm not sure I should go to Baba Yaga's anymore." The smallness of her voice surprised her even more than the words themselves. She wanted to go to Baba Yaga's, right?

She wasn't so sure anymore.

"I think it might be foolish."

"No, you're going. Otherwise we lose a fine sol--" He stopped talking for a minute or so before continuing to talk. "Is this about how that warlock didn't want you to go to Baba Yaga's?"

Her eyes widened. "How do you know what he wanted or didn't want, Nyx? Were you watching us?" She hugged her arms around herself, waiting for an answer. "Well?"

"I was looking out for you."

"Of course you were, weren't you--"

"Yes! Karina Hedge, do not test me any further. I have powers beyond your control, and can force you to snap your body in half with very little effort. You do not know what you are dealing with."

She was silent.

"I am the Night, Karina Hedge. You cannot touch me or hurt me. Do not even think of it."

Every word he spoke rang of truth, and his threats were clearly not idle. She was trapped by his words and her mistakes.

"How do I get to Baba Yaga's?" she whispered.

He chuckled. "Baba Yaga's hut is... interesting. But you'll be able to find it if you eat the dark purple flowers that grow on certain vines on the trees."

"I thought Forest food was bad."

"Unless you know how to use it, it is." Something tapped her head, as though she was a small child. "Only eat the petals of the flower, and eat them slowly. They'll guide you."

She resisted the urge to object. After what both forms of water had done to Hans, it didn't feel smart to eat anything from the Forest. But she needed to listen to Nyx to become a better yaga and get Lilith out of her head.

"Dark purple flowers," she said. "Understood." It took a moment before she thought of her next necessity. "Please give me safe water to drink."

There was a sound of water sloshing and metal clanking. She extended her hand, and something cold and smooth and slightly heavy was placed in her palm. "This is a flask of water taken directly from the Galasralian river. It's never ending."

Her fingers curled around it, encountering a thin strip of something soft and worn. "What's the soft thing that's with it?"

"A strap. So you don't have to hold it all the time." She could hear some rustling about on his end. "Are you ready to go back? I'll drop you somewhere entirely different, far away from the beast."

"His name is Hans, and I--" She stopped herself mid-sentence. What was she going to do, make some hare-brained confession of emotion? That wasn't who she was, and he wasn't the sort of boy that she would ever feel anything towards.

And yet, at the same time, he was. He was the first person she had found herself feeling comfortable and somewhat safe with ever since her mother's death. She trusted him.

But Lilith didn't, which was why she was so lost about that blue-eyed boy. Lilith hated him and she herself didn't.

The thought was a relief.

"Are you ready?" Nyx asked. She squared her shoulders and rubbed her fingers together nervously.

"Yes. Send me to Baba Yaga's hut."

"You have to earn your way to her hut." She gulped. "Good luck, Karina!"

Her stomach dipped and swerved and swooped as she fell downwards and was blinded by the light.

Hey, everyone! So, what did you think of this chapter? What do you think happened to Hans, and what do you think of Nyx here? Please tell me in a comment! If you enjoyed this chapter, please be sure to click that shiny star on your screen, and if you didn't, please tell me any way I can improve. Thank you all so much, and I'll see you next week!

P.S: If you're looking for something new to read while waiting for the next update, go ahead and check out my new story, Sunken Storyteller! The first three chapters are already up, and updates are on Tuesdays. :)