The Witch of Northester

Below

The interior was even more extravagant than the exterior of the house. I couldn't help but stand in awe at the giant chandelier in the foyer to the grand staircase that led upstairs to a broader hall. Pillars supported the vaulted ceiling in the main room, flowers and cherubs carved into each one.

"This is incredible," I whispered.

"You haven't seen anything, yet," Kelan grinned, gently guiding me toward the dining room.

A woman in uniform greeted us with a slight bow and a nod. "Master Kelan. Wonderful to see you. Your mother will be glad to hear of your return."

"Hello, Meredith." He kissed her on the cheek before introducing me. I nodded in greeting.

She gave a brief smile before adding, "Your mother is on the second floor."

I watched his expression turn grim. "It's gotten worse, then?"

"The doctor's been here almost everyday," she sighed, clasping her hands before her bodice.
"We're doing all we can, but even he said the most we can do at this point is make her more comfortable. She cannot be saved."

"Ha! That is what he thinks." Kelan straightened with a smile. "We happen to have in our presence an angel. I've brought her up from Northester to help."

Meredith suddenly looked on me with disdain. Nothing I'm not used to seeing before, but her rashness at assumption caught me offguard. "You're from Northester?"

I swallowed, well...more like gulped, but smiled and nodded in polite answer. "Yes. I grew up there."

"And how do you think she can help?" Her eyes didn't stray from mine, a darkness in them that made me shiver.

"She happens to be an herbalist," Kelan went on to explain, suddenly shifting his feet. I recognized he didn't say the direct ways he thought I could help. "She's performed many miracles in Northester because of their lack of modern medicine."

"I'll bet." Her eyes narrowed.

"I may not have the education, but I have the experience," I defended. "I'll do what I can."

"Ha!" Meredith suddenly barked to Kelan. "If you think she can outperform one of the best doctors in modern medicine, let her have at it. There's nothing more a few herbs can do than antibiotic treatment."

I repeated through clenched teeth, "I'll do what I can."

Meredith's lips twisted in a sardonic smirk. "That's fine, dear. Just see to it you keep your collective potions and chants outside. This is a Christian household."

Insulted, I stepped forward to let her have at it, only to meet Kelan's outstretched arm. "We'll see to it."

Meredith left, chuckling darkly under her breath.

"She's pleasant," I spat sarcastically.

"She grows on you," Kelan tried.

"Like a fungus," I muttered.

Kelan laughed. "Come on."

I started for the staircase, but Kelan pulled me down. "Where are you going?"

"The second floor?" I looked at him quizzically.

"The stairs lead up to the fourth and fifth floor. This is the main floor."

That sounds backwards. "Then...the second floor is-"

"Downstairs," He smiled. "Above the first floor, for servant quarters, which is above the basement for storage."

I put aside my curiosity at WHY his mother would prefer to be downstairs, to wonder at how large these homes were. "This place goes down almost as deep as it is high?"

"Almost." He tapped his nose, leading me back down.

"Why is she downstairs?" I decided to finally asked.

"Well, she prefers the dark. and the quiet. and...so do we." He didn't add much more, leading me to the doorway that would end up downstairs.

Slightly confused, I followed him down there, led by the lantern in his hand and the light it cast out before us. It's so eerie down here. And I think I might feel much colder than the warmth from the fireplaces on the upper levels. Kelan leads me away from other doors at the bottom, pointing out which ones lead to the servants's quarters, and the elevator that leads to the basement. "It goes all the way up to the top floor," he added with pride. "Servants were ever grateful we installed it. Makes fetching things and making rounds so much easier."

"I could imagine," I added, "But this place is breathtaking. I'm surprised given all this, you heard about me all this way away from Northester."

"When you're desperate enough, you want to hear all your options," he smirked. "Even the more unconventional ones."

"Oh. Good to know that's how you REALLY feel about me." I smirked back, elbowing him.

He laughed, but quieted when we stood before a massive door. "Mother's bedroom," he put a finger to his lips. "If she's sleeping, it's best to leave her that way. She doesn't find it often enough."

"How come?"

"Pain." His expression said it all.

This woman has seen hell.

I couldn't blame him for wanting to let his mother be, but I couldn't hear exact quiet even after opening the door. Murmurings from the woman under the thick feather covers. She turned her head and I gasped when catching sight of it in the dim light. The woman looked wane, tired, her eyes nearly black and sunken within her face inhumanly grotesque.

"Mother." Kelan went to her bedside, taking on her her sallow hands in his, kissing her fingers deftly.

She blinked tiredly, trying to smile but struggling to find the strength. "My son. My sweet...sweet son."

"Yes, mother. I'm back." He smiled.

Her eyes opened, lit with hope. "Did you bring it?"

I frowned. Bring what? ME?

Kelan stood, motioning for me to come forward. "Mother? Meet Zelda, from Northester."

"Zelda." She said the name slowly, the 'Z' sound stretched out longer than normal. "I knew your mother, dear."

"Yes." I wanted to shy away, but her hand kept me in a clench. It felt cold and deathly, a skeletal feel keeping me frozen at the spot.

"She was a smart woman. Tragic the ending she found." Her eyes were on me, firm and dark.

Does she know? I shrink under her gaze.

"Your mother and I were a part of the sisterhood." Her eyes glowed. "Did Kelan tell you that?"

I immediately felt cold. I tug away my hand, but she keeps me rooted there. "No." My mouth and throat feel like sandpaper. I can't swallow, and the cold in the room seems to sift out the warmth in my body. I stand there, trembling.

"Yes. Tragic thing that happened." Her pale lips give a shaky smile. "Even more tragic what will happen to the town of Northester. A vengeance has come upon them. A curse noone knows about."

"What do you mean?" I see even Kelan is shifting, confused at what is happening.

"There is a wolf among the sheep. A messenger has been sent to seek out revenge."

The shadow comes to mind and I immediately want to run from the room.

She chuckles, low and raspy. Her eyes are alight with a fire I have not seen since my mother. Crooking a finger in my direction, she motions for me to get closer. I fight every fiber in my being to get as close as I dare until her words meet my ear, and the cold sinks my heart to the bottom of my stomach at what she has to say:

"I would run, too, if I were you."