The Unordinary Life of the Enchantress

Chapter Twelve: A Village Secret II

Standing by the table of the two drunk men, the apprentice cleared his throat, garnering their attention. The two drunkards lifted their half-open eyes to meet those of the boy, giving him an irritated look.

"I would like to ask you about what you said," he stated, nodding at the man who had approached them.

The man stared at him for a moment, almost dazed, before nodding.

"Pull up a chair, kid. This'll be one story you don' wanna stand for," he slurred.

Wary, but compliant, the boy reached over and pulled out a chair, taking a seat as the man began to speak.

"That there, the kid," he started, raising his half-empty pint and motioning towards the girl "She ain' fully a person. Her mother had her with no father."

Bewilderment and confusion clouded the boy's face, his eyebrows knitting together. He began questioning whether trusting these men's words would be trustworthy.

"Her mother, the one those guys there called a witch, was a bit o' an estranged one. She was desperate for a child, her husband died in the war a few years ago -an' her family all fell to some disease, I don' know too much abou' that," he rambled, staring into his pint as he spoke.

"Anyway, a while back – I thin' it was about ..." He squinted, thinking hard.

"Hey," he called to his companion "when did the, err.. Witches show up 'ere?"

The other drunk man looked up, nodding. "Maybe jus' over four an' a half years ago," he said, his words slushing together.

The first man nodded. "Abou' four and a half a year ago," he confirmed, repeating his words.

"They heard that she wanted a child – she use' to go to local villages lookin' for orphans," he added, laughing. "They went and told her to go to their uh... their... lavatory?" he squinted, clearly unsure. "I don't think it's actually called a lavatory but I forget what they called it. Anyway, she then disappeared for a good while- after announcing to everyone that these Witches were gonna help her have a child -now, the village leader – great man, tol' her not to get into anythin' with the Witches. Sayin' that she'd be careful 'cause they wanna use her body for some sick rituals or something, I'm not sure.

"But, the woman, of course, was desperate. She said she was goin' to join the Witches and disappeared for a -a while. We all said, 'Good Riddance!' She was a kind of burden on us all, always sobbing an' in despair. We thought the Witches did something to her and she died. But a while later, she came back – with that in 'er arms." He lifted his free hand and pointed to the child.

The boy looked over to Zel, confusion playing through his mind. Was she some kind of summoned monster? The work of sorcery? His mind dwelled on those thoughts before he shook his head, no, she's far too humane. He focussed his attention back to the drunkard.

"She was like... a new person," the man continued. "She was happier and loved the kid to bits, but every few weeks, she'd disappear for a while again – sometimes a few hours, sometimes a few days. One day, my buddy an' I," he waved his hand to his friend "followed her out. See, we think the Witches have some kind'a interestin' motives. Everyone here thinks they're sorcerers – real witches, but a real witch couldn' summon a proper kid! We still don' know what they are. We followed her into this... strange place – they had... weird tools- shiny ones and ones that made strange, groaning noises. She went and she was talkin' to one of the Witches members – he went and listened in. How abou' you tell him what you heard?" he asked his friend, his words slurring more and more. The other man nodded, turning slightly in his chair to face the apprentice.

"They said," he started "that the child was made from a... Cell or something – apparently a part of the mother, I rekon it's a bit of blood or somethin' like that. They said that because she was made withou' a father or a soul, she had to 'link' with her mother when she turned a quarter-year in age.

"Now, I don' know how this works, but they told her that if she gave it a name, the kid would 'really be hers'. They also said that the kid could end up sick if she didn' have a name in time." The man scratched his head, clearly still confused about this. He then pointed back to his friend.

The first man nodded, a sip of his ale before continuing.

"Yep, she then went back- an' I guess she gave her a name a bit too late an' the kid got sick, ended up blind," the man stated. "She was very concerned at first, but within a few weeks she started claimin' that her daughter could see, went to prove it to the healer. The healer saw the kid and got pretty upset. She then told the village leader and the woman was exiled.

"A year or so into her exile, the village leader told us to find her – bring her back. So, we went out, found her and brought her back. I was so... surprised by the villagers' reactions when we brought her home. They started stoning her! Calling her a witch, sayin' they wanted a normal, quiet village. By the time she reached the village leader's home, she was beaten and bruised all blue.

"That night, they gathered an' the village leader told us about what she did. He said she disgraced out village by becoming a Witch, that she played part in creating a deadly creature in a human shell- he said her daughter was a weapon! So, the next day, she was burned at the stake – much to everyone's joy." The man put his pint down, looking over to the disgruntled and angry crowd.

Leaning in, he motioned for the boy to do the same. The apprentice leaned in slightly, cautious and worried, but chose to hear out the men.

The drunk man began to talk in a whisper, repeatedly eyeing the large group nearby. It must be something he doesn't want the villagers to know, the boy concluded.

"The night after her burning," the man whispered "the Village leader came to find us – we- we're the hunters here, people ask us when they want us to hunt them an animal or the like.

"He told us..." Once again, the man's eyed flickered to the crowd. "He told us to find the kid. He said to do it fast. Apparently, anyone who names the kid owns it – and, because the kid is apparently some... human weapon, he wanted us to find her and give him to her- Said that was why her mother was killed, too.

"We couldn' find her though. Every time we went to that forest, we found ourselves walkin' back out!" He threw is arms in the air. Then, the man chuckled. "If we did find her, you'd bet we weren't going to let that senile old man name her! He'd ruin the livelihood of this place."

Tilting his head to look at the boy, the man spoke once more, "Kind of glad you guys found her first. I'm sure our leader had some twisted plans in mind." Gritting his teeth, the man took another swig of his ale and leaned back.

"If you want more information about her, the only educated person in this village is our healer. If you still have questions, it might do well to pay her a visit," the man stated.

The boy stared at the table, his mind digesting the new, unexpected information.

"If... he wanted the child," the researcher began "then why did he need to kill her mother? You said it earlier, that she was the reason her mother was executed." His voice stern and his eyes cold.

The man looked into the boy's wide, shocked eyes.

"Because she named her," he stated simply. "When you name it, it becomes yours. It will – somehow, be linked to you. Her mother named her and in order to take the link away, he needed to kill her."

"In that case," the boy started "will your leader try to kill us – because we named her?"

Hearing this, the man laughed. A laugh more of surprise than it was of amusement.

"No, no he will not," the man chucked. "He cannot, actually. You see that crowd there? They lynched him when they realised he wanted to team up with the Witches. You'd be better off away from here if you don' wanna meet that fate. It's the people who rule the community, the leader is just there to make the final call." With that, the man waved the boy way.