The Warlord

Chapter 8: Evelaen

She is definitely a witch. I can smell Hethra's mark on her, the tangy scent foreign but familiar. It has been ages since I have encountered a witch, not since the previous queen exiled them to the Perished Lands and beyond. They were deemed as unstable fanatics that worshipped our enemies when the war began, and were only tolerated for their famed healing skills. But when the previous queen's newest child was a stillborn, it was connected to a coven that had performed a sacrificial ritual in the underground of Serestine's capital the other night. Though no one never proved if it was a case of dark magic or of inauspicious timing, the witches were ousted by both the people and the royal family, and driven out of Serestine.

Yet here she stands before me, a worshipper of the gods and nothing less. She must have traveled here from the Perished Lands, either through abandoning her coven or being sent by them. I stare her down, letting the intimidation course through her. I will find out soon enough why she is here.

"The witches were banished years ago, when you and I weren't even alive. So what are you doing here, little one?" I can smell the fear roiling off of her, the terror seizing at her heart. But underneath the panic, the anxiety, I know she is looking for an opening. An opening where she can flee and escape.

"I don't know what you're talking about, miss. I was just heading back to my home after picking some herbs here in the woods." A smooth, effortless delivery, if not for the slight wobble in her voice, I might have been fooled.

"We both know that's not the case, so I'll give you a choice, little witch." I step forward and lean in, making sure I loom over her. I can hear her heart beating wildly, her mind scrambling in complete chaos. "Either you tell me how you got here, or I'll turn you in to the royal guards." From the corner of my eye, I see her fists tighten around the strap of her bag, but her face remains a thin, passive sheet, struggling to hide the emotions within her.

I am willing to bet that she has a particular history with the latter option, and that she knows she can wiggle out of the former. Yet I see her surveying me, her eyes trailing over every detail, taking in my black sword, my dark armor, the faded crest on my chest; she knows that I am a soldier out in the field, or at least a veteran. It would be no use to lie to me, to try and trick me. My mouth quirks to one side. Smart girl.

The tension grows thick on her face, as if she is pondering a matter of life and death. Finally, after weighing both options, she breaks her silence. "I left my coven." Her voice drops to a low, tentative whisper, as if the next words coming out of her mouth are taboo. "They wanted to send one witch back, to see what Serestine had become. So I traveled across the Perished Lands with nothing more than what's inside this bag and my own magic. I summoned a cottage here, deep in the woods, and connected it to an unsuspicious herb shop at the main town. I chose to stay on the outskirts for experience, and to see how strong the queen's grip really was."

"Do the witches wish to return?"

Something like longing flashes in her eyes for a brief moment, but then it disappears. "I do not know. I am merely a scout, and my coven does not speak for all of the witches."

"I should kill you," No remorse as the words spill from my mouth. I let fright and distress take hold of her, let her see herself as a fly in a spider's web, before saying, "but special circumstances have arose, little witch." I pull out a piece of parchment and engrave a symbol in magic on it. I hand the paper to the witch, telling her, "Do not lose this. When the sun sets, open one of your witch portals over the seal. It will take you to me, and if all has gone well, we will depart. If not, I'm afraid I will have to kill you. Be warned, witch, if you do not heed my words, I will find you."

"Depart? Where?" She finds the courage to raise her voice, concern and confusion flooding her tone.

I give her an amused, crooning smile. "Haven't you figured it out yet, little witch? I am Serestine's warlord, and you are now my weapon against Heaven."

As if on cue, my queen's summons tug at the bond between me and her, and I disappear from the woods of Koraness, leaving the witch standing in shock.