Althea

Toads and Losses

Evanida: short-lived
Origin: Latin

Brynhilde and I were woken before dawn by a stony faced Solomon. He shoved a pack into my arms and shouldered another before ushering me to the door. For all his rushing, nothing he could do would convince Brynhilde to move faster. Or move at all. She simply rolled back over and fell asleep again. He worked through his visible frustration, using the time to care for the horses and repack everything three times. I sat on the chopping block that sat in between the cabin and the church, just watching as Solomon hustled about. One thing I had learned during our month living together was just to let him do his thing.

It was late morning by the time Brynhilde exited the cabin. Solomon had taken to pacing, and had worn a path through pine needles that littered the ground. She stretched dramatically before squinting angrily at the sun and yawning.
"It is way too early for this." She grumbled, lacing up her high boots.
"Early?" Solomon growled. "It's nearly noon. I wanted to be gone hours ago!"
"Cool it lover boy." Brynhilde said, finishing up her last boot.
"Don't tell me to 'cool it!' Every second we waste is another second the Empress is in the hands of that vile sorceress! Another second that Althea is in danger!" Solomon yelled, striding over to Brynhilde with thunder in his voice.
"Which you wouldn't even know about if not for me! And who's the one casting the protective spell for your darling Althea? That's right, me! Completely out of the goodness of my heart I might add! You're welcome!" Brynhilde shouted back, her hands glowing with a purple light. I marched over to the pair and stepped in between them, hands on my hips. I was angry.
"That is it! I'm done with this argument! Solomon, back down! We need her and still have plenty of daylight! Brynhilde! Grow up! Do I make myself clear?" I got no reply, just dumbfounded looks. I crossed my arms and huffed.
"Good. Excuse me while I go get the horses." A sudden headache washed over me. A burning sensation started in my abdomen, like heartburn stuck in my stomach. I ignored it and gathered up Cassius and Evanida's reins. I led them back over to Solomon and Brynhilde and passed over Evanida to her owner.
"Lead the way Brynhilde."

For what felt like the millionth time we were on the road again. I rode behind Solomon on Cassius, who was unhappy that Evanida was leading and he wasn't. The only plus was that I no longer felt the saddle sores. We traveled quickly, but stopped frequently. Brynhilde seemed to know every animal in that forest and stopped to converse with most of them. I don't know what kind of conversation anyone could have with a large horny toad, but she managed to chat for a good ten minutes. These stops annoyed Solomon to no end; I could see him clenching his jaw, and so when we stopped I usually had to calm him down with the squeeze of a hand.
It was almost evening before Brynhilde spoke to either of us.
"We're almost there, my home is just beyond this hill here."
As she was speaking a spiky black root snaked out and latched onto Evanida's foot and pulled, sending her and Brynhilde to the ground. Evanida screamed as more of the black tendrils enveloped her and her rider, slowly reeling them towards their source. Solomon lept from the saddle in a flash, and began hacking at the vines, furiously trying to save the horse and the witch. All I could do was watch in mute horror, while trying to ignore the feverish feeling spreading from my stomach to my hands.
I felt the familiar creeping touch of a Malignant vine snaking around my stomach and I screamed. Cassius reared, dumping me on the forest floor. I screamed again and grabbed at the vines out of impulse. The Malignant hissed angrily; the vine was smoking where I had grabbed it. It briefly loosened its hold on me before tightening again. Cassius whirled at my screams and neighed loudly before sending his front hooves crashing down on the tendril holding me. Another four creeper vines crept out of the bush and grabbed at Cassius' feet, anchoring him to his spot. The vines were moving faster now, and more were grabbing me as well as crawling up Cassius' side. Even Solomon was encased and Evanida and Brynhilde were completely gone, a mass of thorns hiding their bodies.
"It's getting dark!" He yelled. "They're growing stronger!"
"Solomon! Not helpful!" I screeched, wiggling frantically.
"Your dagger Althea! Your dagger!" I tried desperately to free my hand and grab it, but to no avail. Tears pricked at my eyes and I let out a sob.
"I can't reach it! I can't reach it, I'm sorry Solomon." Over my head came a sudden flash of light and the Malignant holding me wailed and withdrew its tentacles, or what remained of them. The rest had crumbled to ash after the burst of light. I didn't know why or how, but all I could think about was my companions. I scrambled over to Solomon and began sawing at his bonds with my dagger while another flash hit Evanida and Brynhilde's cocoon. I uncovered his face and searched it for any signs of life. His long, dark eyelashes fluttered weakly.
"My bag... dryad sap." He muttered before his head lolled to the side. I ran for Cassius and dug through his saddle bags before producing a vial of dull, syrupy gold liquid. I unstoppered it and poured some down Solomons throat. He choked on it and swallowed the mouthful before giving me a pained smile.
"Don't you dare forget Cassius." I smiled through my tears and quickly kissed Solomon on the forehead.
"Never." I got up and dashed back to Cassius, forcing some of the sap into his mouth. He snorted, but accepted it. I looked over at Brynhilde and Evanida and saw a tiny figure bent over them. The tendrils had since turned to ash like mine, and the hooded figure was murmuring unintelligible words while waving hands glowing with green light over the bodies. Brynhilde sat up suddenly with a gasp.
"Give her some of that concoction child." The figure said, not moving from her position over Evanida or even pausing to look at me. I rushed over to Brynhilde, bottle in hand.
"Dryad sap?" She wheezed. I nodded and she took a long draught.
"That stuff is nasty." She whispered. I chuckled and wiped away the last of my tears.
"Glad to see you are still yourself."
Solomon had sat himself up and was accompanied by Cassius. He was stroking Cassius's nose and talking gently, trying to calm the shivering horse. Our savior suddenly stopped their murmuring and stood, head bowed.
"I'm sorry, I could not save the mare. But know this, she loved you dearly. She took the brunt of the poison for you, maleficus." Brynhilde let out a wail, and pulled herself to Evanida's side.
"Try again! Give me the sap, Althea! Try again!" She screamed, burying her face in Evanida's flank.
"I'm sorry child. You know the Law of Nature. Death is final, but not the end." The figure said sadly.
"Who are you to call me child?" Brynhilde seethed. Her hands began to crackle with purple light and her eyes flashed, violet electricity running through them like lightning in the clouds on a stormy day. The person only smiled, their mouth barely visible beneath the hood.
"You are all mere babes to me. Your lives combined do not begin to measure up to mine."
She threw back her hood to reveal a little girl with long bright orange hair and a dusting of freckles across her nose. She looked totally unremarkable except for her eyes and the swirl shaped birthmark on her forehead. Her eyes were blank white and the mark was largely the same; a pure white mark across an otherwise tanned face. My hand unconsciously tugged at the fabric of my shirt that covered my back, where I had a mark nearly identical. Solomon and Brynhilde dropped to their knees, bowing to the little girl.
"Hail, High Priestess. Mother Supreme, Daughter Beloved." Brynhilde whispered, the shame evident in her voice. I couldn't think, couldn't process the events of the day, and just let words tumble out of my mouth.
"High Priestess? What kind of name is that?" I said. Brynhilde and Solomon gasped in perfect synch. The little girl smiled again.
"That is of course only a title and not my true name. In all honesty, soror, I have forgotten my true name, for my duty is my identity. My duty is to my children and to my mother, what else must my name be but a reflection of that?" I nodded meekly, lost for words.
"Daughter," the High Priestess said, turning to Brynhilde who quickly ducked her head again, "be careful with your temper, and remember your fear so you may conquer it. You cannot run from your troubles. Do not fear, this family is not your last and will not become as such."
She turned to Solomon. "Nephew, your duty is your bond but not you. Don't let it blind you or distract you from yourself."
She stared at me again and beckoned me to her.
"Althea, I have a gift for you." I shuffled over to her and she stretched on her tippy toes to press one finger to my forehead. Her face suddenly seemed a million miles away. I developed the strangest feeling of deja vu and intense tunnel vision before falling, falling, falling...