Night Witch

Chapter 26

It was gingerbread, and the closer she got to the heavenly scent the more her stomach rumbled. It seemed as though the smell was coming in the general direction of the footprints. The closer she got, the more she was consumed with hunger.

She moved slowly so as not to disturb her shoulder, like a wraith from a Moracian tale. But all the same, she could feel herself getting hungrier and hungrier; and, because of it, going faster and faster.

At long last, the scent was thick in the air--even when the footprints had faded and the effect of the flowers had worn away. She was getting close, she could tell.

Then she saw it.

It was a white picket fence that would get dirty any day in Moracia, but somehow in the Forest of the Dead looked clean and bright. It created a stark contrast against the dark trees and thorns.

It was beautiful.

Don't trust it.

She frowned. Was it her thinking? Was it her not believing in anything and trying to look out for herself? Or was it Lilith, who had her own intentions and was what Nyx considered a dark force?

Nyx...doesn't know anything.

She stepped towards the fence. There was a gate on it, and the second she touched its surprisingly soft wooden surface she felt at peace. A deep contentment thrummed through her body, and her muscles relaxed. She swung the gate aside, and it moved soundlessly to let her through.

The ground inside the fence was untouched by thorns and thickets, and instead was bare earth. Karina bent down, wincing as she pained her shoulder. She'd have to be more careful next time. But now--it was real! Ancestors, it was real!

The dirt was rich and dark against her palms, and felt almost damp. She loved its soft roughness, its life-giving freshness. It felt good in a way that she never would have imagined. She touched it to her cheek and rubbed it on her arms before gently setting what was left of it back on the ground.

She unlaced her boots and rolled off her thick, sweaty socks with her uninjured arm before digging her toes into the ground. An impish giggle escaped her mouth before she could stop it, and before she could stop it her sides hurt from laughing too much. She never thought that dirt would make her laugh. Yet here she was.

She carefully picked up her socks and shoes and carried them, still following the scent of gingerbread. Her stomach pinched, and she continued walking towards the smell.

At last, she spotted its source. A lovely brown house with a white trim. It had a tall, steep roof that was entirely smooth--almost as if it wasn't made of logs or thatch or any normal sort of building material. It was as if, Karina realized, the house itself was made of gingerbread.

Well, that's not very practical for cleaning, she thought before diving in and ripping off a hunk of gingerbread. It was hard, as though it had been sitting out for a while, but she didn't care. She could taste exotic spices in it dancing on her tongue--nutmeg, maybe, and a hint of that round, orange fruit she'd had once as a gift. It was divine.

Don't trust it. It's not food. You'll be weaker. Don't trust it. Don't trust it.

Karina ignored her thoughts, gorging herself. It really was food, and she really was hungry. She ate one bite after another, until her hunger was sated--perhaps too much so, as it all came back up again a few minutes later.

Groaning, Karina bent over. The last time she'd gotten sick had been two years ago, in the icy cold of winter. She'd been coughing for weeks, and could barely finish her chores. It was then when Olga had hit the hardest and Helga had been the meanest. Poor little wench, too weak to do what she was built for. Perhaps she needs a wake up call, huh? Let's put her head in the trough until she can't even breathe!

She wasn't going to have anything like that again.

She stood up, gritting her teeth through the pain to her shoulder. A little vomit couldn't stop her. She was going to get through this. She was Karina Hedge, and nothing could stop her.

She keeled over once again, and everything went black.

****

"Uhhh..."

Karina sat up slowly, rubbing her head and wincing. Ancestors, where was she?

It all came back in flashes. The flowers, the chase of the evil creature, her shoulder, the gingerbread house. Only this house that she was sitting in front of wasn't gingerbread. It seemed to be made from a conglomeration of materials--wood, stone, and something white and yellowish, along with a tall, thatched roof.

See...it better now...

Karina stood up carefully, trying to ignore the pinching of her stomach and the pain in her head. Her vision was slightly fuzzy, but it sharpened the more time went by. She stood up, wobbling on her feet.

Something sharp jabbed her uninjured shoulder, and Karina slowly moved around to see an short, blue haired woman staring back at her. The woman's face seemed to be wrinkled with age, and her skin had strong yellow underhues to it. The woman's back hunched over as though she was carrying a large load, and she seemed to regard Karina suspiciously with her black, beady eyes. In spite of herself, Karina felt a shiver run down her back.

The clothes upon the crone weren't any less strange; the woman was wearing a black robe that, when it caught the dim light that peeked through the Forest branches, seemed to have gold symbols embroidered in it. Karina had never seen the likes before.

The woman regarded her coldly before jabbering away in a language that seemed dry and raspy all at once. It felt familiar to Karina, but she couldn't tell what it was. She rubbed her fingers together anxiously. "I don't understand," she whispered.

The old woman rolled her eyes and stopped talking in the strange language. "Vasilisa Hedge. Sort the flowers in that pile over there. Then we talk."

And the crone crept away.

So... What do you think of this woman and her house? I'd love to her your thoughts and opinions!

If you enjoyed this chapter, I'd really appreciate it if you could click that yellow star and give me a vote. If you disliked this chapter, tell me what I could do to improve and I'll do my best!

See you next week!

Edited 9/8/16: Changed seeds to zombies