Witch Hunt

The Queen's Goat

"Enya!" A male shouted at the sleeping girl, "Enya...wake up!" he shook her shoulder.

"What the hell?" groggily Enya lifted herself off her pillow and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. With blurry vision, she looked up at the man who beckoned her from her slumber.

"You do realize it's nearly noon? You are late!" The man's disgruntled scowl didn't faze Enya in the slightest. With a big stretch, she rose from her cot and stumbled past the grumpy man.

"I thought time was just a concept, not a true tangible thing." She spoke through a yawn and began grabbing a cup, some herbs, and the kettle from the fire. "Time is past, present, and future simultaneously, we just exist currently in our understanding. So technically," she took a sip from her steamy cup of tea, "I am never late."

He raised a scruffy eyebrow at her and chuckled. Without another word, he retrieved a brown leather pouch from behind a curtain and tossed it on the wooden table near her. Enya rolled her eyes knowing what it meant. She would have to run some errands today before her lesson as punishment. As much as Enya loved going to the village, her master, Thorne, always sent her to retrieve obscure items and never left her money to purchase anything she impulsively desired. He also had forbidden her from making any friends and to remain unnoticeable, which, to Enya's dismay, wasn't hard to do.

"I am out of dragon's blood, frankincense, thyme, olive oil, and cinnamon. Oh! I will also need a raven:" Thorne's amused tone taunted her and she quickly finished the last of her tea.

"Why a raven?" she questioned.

"Why did you sleep in?" he smiled at her and pulled back the thick curtain that blocked the front entrance, "best be quick to make it in time for your lesson today. I believe we are mastering your favorite element: fire."

Throwing on a brown cloak, Enya snatched up the leather pouch filled with coins and made her way towards the town. With each hurried step frustration began to grow inside her. Thorne was always getting onto her about one thing or another. Today it was sleep, yesterday it was clumsiness, last week it was impatience. With an aggravated sigh, she exited the wilderness of the woods and found herself on the canopied path toward the village.

The dense forest shaded the dirt road and the midday sun cast beautiful shadows with the leaves. Birds whistled and chirped a lovely tune and leaves rustled in the warm summer wind. Distracted in the beauty, Enya began jumping from sun beam to sun beam in a sort of forest dance. She spun and leapt from each one until before she knew it she clashed into a cold hard piece of metal.

"Ouch!" she rubbed her freckled nose and looked up at the obstacle looming over her.

"Watch where you're going missy." Snarled a towns guard. His dark eyes glared at her as she cautiously walked past him and through the entryway into the town surrounded by a huge stone wall and an excessive amount of guards.

Ever since the queen's murder over 20 years ago, this town has been not only cautious of outsiders, but discriminatory towards them. Anyone out of the ordinary was not welcome beyond the sturdy walls. Fortunately, her cloak covered her brilliant copper hair and shaded her golden eyes; otherwise, she would never make it past the guards. If anyone even suspected Enya to be a magical being, she would be burned alive without a second thought. Burned...just as the queen had been.

With a gulp, she weaved through the busy village streets until she made it into the hectic marketplace. People yelled here and there offering the best deals on the freshest produce, others bickered over pricing, theft, or whatever they were using as an excuse to fight about. Children wailed or begged their mothers to buy them a goodie. There was of course always that one guy hollering about the end of times; his name was Greg, Enya greatly enjoyed his company.