The Unordinary Life of the Enchantress

Chapter One: The New Mortals

The winter sky was clearer than crystal as the pinpricks of starlight danced around the thin crescent moon. The frosty land almost mimicked detail as a small army of men marched forward with fire-lit lanterns scattered between them. Ahead in their path lay a grand manor, stationed alone atop a hill. The glow of the flames guided their steps as their leader preached of his excellence and power – presumably in an attempt to motivate his soldiers. The young man sat atop his white steed and held his head high, prepared to lead his soldiers into battle.

Despite their leader's lengthy address, the battalion gave no response nor reaction as they silently followed his lead.

*

Within walls of brick and stone, an Enchantress silently paced across the marble floor of the dark room. Her eyes wandered towards the grand window as she hummed, deep in thought. The bare vines dripped from the upper balcony, framing the view of the city downhill. She traced the view with her index finger – as if following the brush strokes made by an artist of a painting. A smile played lightly on her lips as she followed the bobbing of city lights in the distance.

Her smile dropped.

'Those lights... why does it look like they're coming closer?' she mumbled to herself.

She rested her hand on the glass before her, peering into the distance to see who was nearing with a swarm of light. As the first head came over the hill, a deafening BANG stole her concentration. Head whipping around to find its source, she stepped away from the window, pulling the curtains to hide herself.

Did it come from the front? The back? Upstairs?

Deeming her confusion unnecessary, the Enchantress rushed towards the sitting area, snatching a wooden staff from beside the fireplace. As soon as her skin made contact with the handle, the woodgrain shimmered with a golden light. Branching out from her touch, the light made its way to the crescent head of the staff, finding its home in the now-visible sphere of crystal that sat snug within the wooden ornament. The light faded from the woodgrain, seeping into the crystal, and settling into the mist which filled the ball.

With a steady wave of the staff in her hand, the Enchantress called upon her power. The mist within the crystal shimmered in time as the grey veins of the black marble floor began to pulse. The marble lit to a deep purple glow, twisting, and shifting as she spoke her command.

'Rise.'

The movement in the ground stopped. Its glow stilled for but a moment before the marble lurched up. The ground moved once more as the stone beast rose from its rest, prepared to carry out the will of its master. With its broad stature accentuated by its unexpectedly short height, the marble monster stood no taller than the Enchantress herself but was more than twice as wide.

'It looks like there are some intruders,' the Enchantress sighed, swallowing the quiver in her voice. 'I need you to check the front.' She paused, briefly resting her hand on her lips. 'Now, if someone is there, you don't need to particularly hurt them – just make sure they're too scared to come back.' She waved the creature towards the door.

As if the beast had acknowledged her command, it gave a gravelly nod before pounding towards the garden doors. The Enchantress followed the beast with her staff, watching as it left through the doors. Once out of site, she tapped the staff once on the marble below. From its point of contact, light filled the veins, rushing across the room and creating a path of light for her to follow.

Her feet slammed against the marble as she ran towards the rear gardens, passing by a coat-hook and snatching her mantle from it as she ran past. After throwing the mantle across her shoulders, she thrust the doors open. She stepped forward, onto the patio, flicking her wrist out before herself. Lamps which adorned the garden path lit up in succession, following her command.