A Magical Scheme

Chapter 2: A Not-So-Gentle Reminder

Lukas

After leaving the oddly pale witch's cottage, we made our way through the forest back to Dawnsberg down a makeshift trail, most likely made by the witch. I hate witches. I mean- I don't hate them, not all of them. Just the bad ones. I've been Sir Eddard William von Stoichavich's apprentice for 2 months, and so far I've learned two things. 1) Never get on Ed's bad side. 2) Witches aren't all bad. I didn't exactly learn the second point from him, but it doesn't make it less true. Ed does kill witches, and often, I've seen him do it. There was this horned witch over in Edensborough who apparently killed a couple and made soup with their bones. Ed killed her by ripping her heart out and then burning her body, it was such a vile affair I threw up afterward. I only got into this business because my parents were killed by a rogue witch. About three years ago, my parents were at home, about to go to sleep, before a witch attacked and burned the house down, my parents trapped inside. I managed to arrive home just as the witch was escaping, and without even thinking, like second nature, I staked her in the heart with a piece of kindling I found on the ground, then I threw her into the fire of my childhood home. After a year of looking, and traveling across lands, I finally found a hunter who'd train me. In the province of Mason, Eddard was a renowned hunter, and he was getting older, looking for someone to take over his legacy. Rumour was he's killed whole covens, including a high priestess. Now I was traveling alongside him, living in tavern after tavern, killing whichever witch we were hired to kill. What brought us to Dawnsberg was the murder of two twins, age 12. They were found in the middle of the forest, half-eaten, about 100 meters away from an abandoned witch's cottage. A witch had done it, clearly, yet she was nowhere to be found. The Sheriff had been the one to hire us, bringing us to this small, scared town. As we began to approach the end of the forest I couldn't help but think of the strange witch we met in the clearing. Her house looked so tiny, yet through the crack in her front door I could've sworn It was bigger on the inside, and the grounds were perfectly tame and clearly well cared for. As for the witch, she seemed small, definitely not over 5'7, and her black hair and grey eyes made for a striking contrast to her skin. Her skin looked pale, and her face too, she looked, almost sickly, as if she had the plague, though then she could easily cure herself. She was young too, perhaps my age, although 19 was awfully young to be living by yourself in the middle of the forest. I wonder if she was part of a coven or just alone. The town was coming closer into view, it was as if this kilometer of the forest was a wall that the strange witch had somehow put up, yet everyone in town knew about her, yet only a select few actually know what she looks like, and I'm assuming that those few are Ed and I. We walked over a small farm before entering the main village center, and we soon made it over to the rocky cobblestone streets and began our walk to the sheriff's station. The streets were hectic and busy with villagers delivering food or products, mothers walking children, some men heading to the mine with pickaxes swung over their shoulders. The only reason this town still survived was because of the mine, it was in the bottom of a small mountain, Mt. Cohn, that overlooks the village. Iron and copper are the main exports, the town's survival depended on it. The main strip of shops and homes went on for about half a kilometer, we passed bakeries, clothing shops, homes, medicinal shops, sewing shops, the post office, and finally, we came across the sheriff's office.

Ed and I walked in to see the sheriff pacing back and forth behind the front desk, three empty cells behind him. "Sheriff Johnson." Spoke Ed, his voice rough and loud. The sheriff snapped his head up, he was a burly, yet pudgy short man. His extremely short red hair was masked by the black cowboy-style hat he was wearing, and it matched his ancient black suit, save for the good star pin attached to the chest piece. "Ah yes! Mister Stoichavich! I take it your journey to the dark forest witch was successful?" He had an odd hint of enthusiasm in the back of his voice. Ed stood, with as blank of an expression on his face as possible. "I don't think it was her. She's too young and clearly sticks to the forest for a reason. I don't believe she's the killer." I looked up at him, I believed she wasn't capable of killing either but I didn't think Ed would agree, normally he doesn't show a liking for any witch. I looked back at the sheriff who was fuming, "So you're telling me, we have no leads? There are two dead children for Christ's sake." He was downright pissed, and I don't blame him, the townspeople have been going crazy to find this killer, they don't feel safe. Hell, if there was a murderer in my town too I wouldn't feel safe. "Tomorrow, my apprentice and I will go to the scene of the murder and investigate, could you bring us there at first light?" The sheriff gave us a low nod. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.