Witch Hunt

Past, Present, and Future

            "Over 20 years ago, Thorne and I were favored by King Geri. Thorne served as his advisor for years, using his magic to help Geri execute the best decisions. Ya see, our buddy Thorne's expertise was in prophecy and divination. The king appreciated his abilities and requested them for assistance in decision making and general knowledge. Believe it or not Enya, I was the brains of the operation. Now don't give me that look youngin', it's true! My position was a glorified scribe. I documented all events of King Geri and was well educated in the magical aspects of our culture and ancient documents. Thorne was my good ol' pal. What a rascal though, ended up getting ourselves into a lot of trouble with the ladies, I'll tell ya what!"

Greg began chuckling and he gazed into the distance in remembrance of old times. Enya and Greg sat in a library room covered in scattered papers and signs about end times. Books were disorganized and some in random piles on the ground. Dust covered some shelves and cobwebs decorated nearly every corner of the tall room. The stone walls trapped in the cold and the nearby fireplace illuminated the room but seemed to provide no relief of the chilly air. Enya watched Greg curiously; if what he was saying was true, then Thorne left her in the dark about the past more than she realized.

"So, any-who, you are aware of the queen's death. That was no freak accident, the king is right when he claims it was a magical being that burned her in her room. It was us." Enya gasped at Greg's words and the dust in the air caused her to start coughing violently.

"What?" She yelped between coughs. The raven fluttered above her, then landed on her chair's arm. The raven squawked at her as though to snap her out of her coughing fit.

"I know this is a lot of information to take in, but Thorne thought it best to raise you without knowledge of his prior whereabouts. I insisted he tell ya, but he was determined by golly." Greg rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"So...so...what you're telling me is...that I was raised by a man who murdered the queen? Wow, no wonder we lived outside of town." Enya sat there, eyes wide taking in this huge chunk of information.

"I know, I know. Lotta juicy stuff I tell ya what. The queen was late in her pregnancy and the king requested Thorne do a tarot reading about the life his son would lead. The reading is what started everything. He realized that the king's boy wasn't going to be just a magical being, but a devilish incarnation. That boy would bring about the end times in a way that would be utmost torturous. He would have had such corrupt power and strength, he would conquer and destroy. He would bring about plagues, storms, and death. Thorne asked me to do research on ancient prophecies. I found that one all right. The son was the end."

"So, you guys murdered the queen to prevent the son from destroying our world?" Enya gulped.

"Ya bet your ass we did! There was no way that we could sit back with this knowledge and let these events unfold. Thorne and I schemed for ways to go about it. Upon my research of demons, the best way to purify the situation was with fire. Fire being Thorne's least favorite element. He was clumsy and young with his elemental magic. He made a dramatic mess of the scene and left too much evidence it was him. He burned obvious fire runes all over the hall leading to the queen's chambers. He destroyed her and that night King Geri issued a mass witch hunt, specifically targeting your master, Thorne."

"That was the night he found me." Enya stated quietly.

"Yes, ma'am it was. Magical beings of all sorts fled the kingdom. Houses were burned down, people were arrested, some killed on the spot. The guards attempted to block off the exit of the kingdom, but during that time there were no walls and many were fortunate enough to escape. Others, not so fortunate. You were abandoned, Thorne discovered you in the forest. Your family must have been captured or lost you in the chaos. You were only an infant when Thorne discovered yer little self. Even with the insanity that had unfolded in his life, he took you in and you became his apprentice."

"But..." Enya thought of the words to say but instead remained speechless. The information dropped in her lap was so much to take in.

"The officials have been in search of Thorne for quite some time and they finally found him it would seem. I haven't the slightest clue if he managed to escape again or not. But I swore to him years ago I would take you in if ever there was anything to happen. But lately with the talk of a new queen and then Thorne being discovered, there is a shift in the atmosphere in the kingdom. I don't reckon I know why, but it isn't a good sign." Greg rubbed his balding head and sighed, "Thank heavens you are okay."

"Tea?" A sweet voice broke the intense atmosphere and Greg's wife waddled in with two cups of tea. She handed each one of them a glass and then placed a bowl of water down for the raven. Each one of them happily enjoyed the beverages and thanked her as she left.

"Greg how do I know what you're saying is true? I have grown quite fond of our chats in the marketplace, but in my mind, you were always an impoverished, senile, and elderly man. Now you take me into this mansion and lay all this information out for me. How can I trust you?" Enya placed the tea cup down with shaky hands.

"Thorne prepped me for this exact situation." Greg rose from his seat and crossed the room to retrieve a scroll. He extended it out to me and I unrolled it inquiringly.

Enya,

If you are reading this then you are in the care of my dear friend, Gregor. He is a good man, he will care for you. The wise old bat is probably a better care giver than I will ever be, but I still hope to teach you everything there is to know about magic before you must do without me. Our time together is limited. I have seen in the cards how we are to part ways, just not when, so to be safe I am writing this letter.

You are only six years old as I am writing this. I can tell you are mischievous little one and you are definitely going to cause me some grief with that attitude of yours, I already know! You are like a daughter to me, not just an apprentice. I see in the cards you will be far stronger in magic than I ever was and that is both a relief and a worry for me. Please stay safe.

When the time comes for us to part I will leave you with my book of shadows, deck of tarot cards, and a drawing. Be strong. Use the resources. Your destiny is great, but there's a divide in the paths. Be safe and choose wisely.

Your Master,

Thorne Wyborn

Enya rolled back up the scroll and placed it beside her on the table. Shock set into her bones and her eyes glazed over. The raven pecked at the scroll nosily. Enya's heart thundered in her chest. Thorne had known her entire life what was to unfold today and yet he left her in the dark. She was both infuriated as she was heartbroken. As much as he was her master he was also like a father to her. He was all she had and this was an abrupt realization.

Tears stung her eyes and exhaustion slammed into her. Greg noticed her solemn aura and silently escorted her out of the library. They walked down a marbled hallway and everything seemed to move slowly for Enya. His wife opened a large wooden door and behind it was a glamourous room with a warm bed calling to Enya. Huge windows were covered by sheer curtains and a vanity table was illuminated by a small lamp. Greg's wife helped her to the bed and placed a clean change of clothes on the bedside table. The fabrics were nice and soft. Enya ran her fingers over the clothes quietly, appreciating their cleanliness. Greg and his wife closed the door, leaving the raven and Enya alone.

Still lost in the shock of it all, Enya absentmindedly changed into her pajamas and curled into the silky bed. The raven nestled on top of Enya and ruffled her dark feathers. The two closed their dreary eyes and drifted into a much-needed sleep.

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