10 Minute Tales

Jun 18 - Witch Hunt

She could already hear the roaring of the crowds. The ominous glow of their torches hung on the horizon. She frantically threw her belongings into a sack, glancing around in panic.

"No, no, no... not now...!" she whimpered. She almost had enough power to protect her home, she'd almost gathered enough energy to persuade the forest to accept her, but she had to run before they burnt her home. Before they burnt her. She lifted the bundle of clothes, roughly grabbing a handful of herbs as she prepared a second. She didn't plan to leave on foot. The village would quickly surround her, capture her, destroy her. Instead, she needed a diversion. She kept a small cage of doves; they served as a symbol of purity, a vital component in a lot of her spells, but she had found peace in caring for them. Now she would give them their freedom... all but one. She frowned slightly as she gripped one gently in both hands. "I'm sorry, little friend... but one of you has to die so I can live..." she muttered a quick cantrip. The dove died as her body vanished; her soul took the place of the dove's, her body vanishing and becoming one of them. Her disguise was in place. She ruffled her new feathers, adapting to the new sensation. The glow was brighter now. She focused herself again, hopping over to the door and pecking at the lock. One or two of the doves looked at her, confused, but none were bright enough to find the way out. She pecked twice more, a third... thunk! The door flapped open. She flapped her wings and flew out, the others following her lead. She looped around the room once, giving the others time to take the lead, then followed suit. The crowd outside cried out in surprise. Some muttered it was a blessing from God, a sign that what they were doing was right. She would have frowned if she had a mouth; their "pure act" was destroying the person that had tried their best to keep them alive, healed them in their time of need, all because she didn't believe in their gods. She cursed their ignorance in her bird's voice, but it came out as little more than cooing. She would need somewhere to stay first, somewhere she could recover. Persuading them she wasn't a threat wouldn't be easy, considering the magical nature of her escape, but she had to believe she could do it. If she didn't trust in that, she wouldn't have a reason to head back. She landed on a branch as she cooed sadly. She wouldn't even have a reason to become human again. She considered it for a while, surrendering her body to be this dove for the rest of her days, but she concluded she would miss the simple times. A sung incantation brought her back to her true form. She climbed down the tree, looking around. She was deep in the forest now, far out of sight. "I'm sorry to trespass, forest." she muttered, kneeling and resting a hand on the cool earth. "But I need your help."