All of them jumped and looked towards the voice. It was no longer cold, and the moon glowed through the clouds. The outline of the trees could be seen, as the darkness lifted. A woman stood out just enough to be seen by the group. She was holding a few hares, and had a bow slung over her shoulder with a quiver on her back. Luna tried to make sense of the newfound situation.
“Well, come with me.” She adjusted herself and headed further into the woods.
Luna looked up at Saros, who was looking at Lyzal. Lyzal looked back at both of them.
“She’s not another one of those shadow creatures, is she?” Luna asked with caution.
“No, I can smell her; she’s only human.” Saros confirmed.
Lyzal and Saros took a glance around the area, confirming their safety. Luna closed her eyes and offered a small prayer.
Dear Meraki, we have been through so much. Thank you for protecting us. But we are so tired, please give us a break. Let this be a break.
Letting out a sigh, Luna opened her eyes and followed the woman into the woods. Lyzal and Saros stared as Luna walked away in disbelief, then looked at each other.
“Uh, what are you doing?” Lyzal dared to ask.
“Putting my faith in Meraki.”
Saros put on a weary smile as Lyzal’s eye twitched.
“It might be a trap.” Lyzal snapped.
“Then I guess we'd better keep our eyes open.” Saros urged Lyzal forward as he continued onward.
Lyzal scuffed as she watched Saros follow Luna. Rolling her eyes, she followed Saros into the forest. Luna could see a light up ahead. As they got closer, she could smell the smoke in the air; it was a fire. As the light flickered and eased her mind from all the surrounding darkness, she couldn’t help but wonder what consequences it would invite.
“Excuse me, but isn’t having a fire in the middle of the night dangerous?” Luna asked what she thought was obvious.
“Hm? Oh, no, we’ve established ourselves. No maiaak would dare to attack us.”
“Us?” Saros spoke from behind.
Getting to the clearing, “Odorro, Wyn, I am back with the catch… and guests.”
“Welcome back, Vera.”
A woman sitting in the middle of the campsite near the fire spoke up with a smile.
“I got some rabbit, Wyn, and just as you said, I have encountered strangers,” Vera spoke as she walked to a log on the left side of the fire.
Just as she said? Luna tilted her head in question.
“The Earth has provided.” Wyn got up for a quick bow and retrieved the hares from Vera.
“Odorro, get out here.” Vera demanded.
“I’m coming. Yesh.” Each step hit the ground with a heavy thud as a man taller than everyone Luna had seen so far stepped out.
Luna could have sworn he was too large to be human.
“Odorro already brought his catch for the night, so dinner is ready.” Wyn stepped back towards the fire, with a ladle stirring in a pot that was hovering over the fire.
Wait, how is it stirring on its own? Also, what is holding the pot? Luna noticed that there was nothing holding the pot over the fire, and that it was floating there.
“Great, I’m starving.” Vera sat up.
“Sit, I know you’re hungry,” Wyn smiled at Luna, Lyzal, and Saros.
Luan looked around more and noticed weird symbols she had never seen before. She was steadily becoming uncomfortable, but the growl of her stomach reinforced her earlier decision. Swallowing, she almost took a step towards the group when-
Wyn just gave them the biggest smile she had given them yet, and a couple of nods.
Luna had heard about witches, but had never met one. Unlike the pure who used livine, witches used magic and were impure cheaters of life. Luna was told that witches were capable of terrible things and were dangerous and should be feared just like maiaaks.
Luna cautiously took a seat on the empty log, while eyeing Vera, Wyn, and Odorro. Odorro had taken a seat next to Vera, who was on the opposite side of the fire from Luna. Lyzal sat next to Luna on the outside, and Saros sat next to Wyn.
With his charming smile, he faced Wyn. “So, what all can you do with your magic?”
Wyn smiled back, “Oh, nothing much. A little sorcery here.” She wiggled her fingers on her right hand at the symbols that were etched into the trees. “A little sorcery there.” With her left hand, she wiggled her fingers at the hovering pot that was now floating towards her along with bowls. With a smile that never seemed to leave, Wyn served the soup that she had been cooking, feeding Odorro first, then Vera, then sending a bowl towards Luna. Tense, Luna stared at the floating bowl, then slowly reached for it. The warmth of the bowl felt good compared to the cold nights they had been experiencing.
“Would you two like a bowl?”
“No,” Lyzal bluntly answered.
“Unnecessary,” Saros still had his charming smile on.
“It’s a shame that beautiful young women such as yourselves were driven from your home,” Saros spoke up.
Lyzal rolled her eyes.
Wyn giggled while Vera tilted her head.
“Careful, maiaak.” Odorro spoke with his booming voice, looking up from his bowl of soup.
“I’m merely giving a compliment.” Saros held his disarming smile.
“Don’t worry, Odorro, we’re not that foolish. Even if she acts like it.”
“I think he’s sweet.” Wyn continued to giggle.
“You were driven from your home?” Luna clarified.
“Witches aren’t exactly welcomed.” Vera sighed. “Once our village went on a witch hunt, it was no longer safe for us there. So we left, deciding fending for ourselves was for the best.”
Luna's shoulders slumped as she tried to imagine the horrors they had probably gone through. She heard of witch-hunts; villagers burned their homes and burned captured witches alive. Remembering the close encounter with fire that she had when getting Lyzal out, she shuddered at the thought of being burned alive.
Seeing the saddened look on Luna’s face, Wyn continued, “It was rough at first, but Mother Nature has yet to disappoint.”
Luna gave a small smile as her stomach sank for making Wyn feel like she had to comfort her.
“What about you? You look like you’re a part of that religion.” Vera waved her hand in the air. “What’s it called?”
“Elyisan.” Odorro spoke from his bowl, finishing it and helping himself to a second helping.
“Right. Yet, you’re traveling with two maiaaks. That’s pretty interesting.” Vera stared at Luna for an answer.
“That?! Well, that’s uh, a long story.” Luna tried not to stutter.
“Like we have anywhere to go,” Vera pressed.
“Leave her alone, Vera.” Odorro’s voice was lower, but it still held a boom to it. “They’re adventure is their own. Just as ours is our own.”
Vera turned towards Wyn, who seemed to be content. Shrugging her shoulders, clearly outnumbered, Vera stopped asking questions.
Luna stared at Odorro, who seemed to be the size of two men. Even the Disenthrall back in Lumevale weren’t anywhere near his size.
“Honestly, I would have mistaken you for a warrior.” Luna spoke to Odorro.
“No mistake there.” Vera looked up at Odorro. “He was a warrior for our village.”
“When I came back to houses on fire, I found these two and ran with them.”
“If it hadn’t been for Odorro, we probably wouldn’t have made it this far.” Wyn’s smile came back.
Luna didn’t want to seem rude to their past, but they needed a good direction to follow to get out of the forest. “So, this village of yours-”
“Don’t bother. It’s been burned to the ground.” Vera waved Luna off. “I made sure of it.”
Luna’s eyes widened as she pressed her lips together. Perhaps witches really should be feared, as they say. She quickly looked at Lyzal, who had a grin on her face, clearly feeling the opposite as she sat there amused.
“Don’t give me that.” Vera snapped Luna’s attention back. “They had it coming. Burned my entire family for what I was, and I didn’t even do anything to them. Treat me like a monster, I’ll give you a monster.” Vera more than felt justified.
Luna looked around the fire. Saros seemed unfazed. Odorro didn’t seem to care, and Wyn still had her smile. Luna couldn’t help but feel like the black sheep.
“I see.” She finally spoke.
“Don’t mind her,” Wyn’s smile grew. “She’s harmless. So long as you don’t poke the bear.”
Luna gave a small, weary nod as she looked down at the rest of her soup. Drinking the rest, she put the bowl down.
“Vera, dear. Would you be so kind as to get me her gift?” Wyn asked.
A gift? For who?
Vera got up, eyeing Luna, then disappeared into one of the three tents. Coming back out, she held a different bow and quiver filled with arrows, handing them to Wyn. Wyn inspected the bow, then turned her body to face Luna.
Holding out the bow and quiver, “Here. This is for you.”
Luna looked at Lyzal, who was not paying attention, then at Saros, who stared at her expectantly. Luna stood up, taking a step towards Wyn, and grabbed the bow and arrow.
“Thank you?” Luna wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t have any experience with a weapon. She examined the bow, not sure what to make of this gift.
“You’ll have to excuse the quality.” Wyn continued. “It’s not the best, but it’s what we could make out here. It’ll get you through the forest until you get to a village where you can purchase a more capable bow… and arrows.”
“Thank you, but I do not know how to use a bow and arrow.”
Without turning towards Vera, Wyn added, “Vera will teach you.”
Luna looked back at the bow in her hands. The handle seemed to be slightly off from the center, and if she didn’t know better, she’d say the bow was almost as tall as she was. Running her thumb over the smoothness of the bow, she stared at the dark wood.
“Well, get up,” Vera, who was already standing, snapped.
“Wait, right now?” Luna stumbled to get up.
“Come here.” Vera signaled for Luna to come closer.
When Luna got to the other side of the fire, next to Vera, Vera instructed her on how to hold the bow and her posture properly. The bow was almost as tall as Luna, and felt heavy in her hand, which worried Luna about traveling with it. But not to seem rude, she kept her comment to herself. Surely these witches knew what they were doing.
Once Vera felt confident in Luna’s stance, regardless of the tremble in her hand, she grabbed one of her own bows and showed her how to align the arrow with the string and bow. Luna fumbled at first, dropping the bow a few times and apologizing each time it dropped. Vera ended up snapping at Luna, telling her to hold it and aim with intent. Then she moved on to showing her the draw and release of the bow. The first few arrows flopped with little distance between them. Eventually Vera grabbed the bow from Luna, and showed her once what it should look like. Luna was impressed when the arrow flew into the tree nearby.
“It’ll take some practice.” Vera said as she handed the bow back.
Luna grabbed the bow with both hands, giving a small nod. Walking around Luna, Vera left and went into one of the three tents. Odorro also got up, and walked away.
“Goodnight, Wyn,” Odorro lazily waved.
Wyn, who had been watching Luna the entire time, smiled and also got up. “You should get some rest. You and your companions had a long night.” Wyn turned to walk away.
“Wait,” Luna stopped Wyn. “Do you know what has been tracking us?” Luna asked, hoping to get an answer to what those things were.
“No. All I know is that you’re going through some hardship.”
“You’re okay with us staying here?” Luna asked, unsure if they should leave.
“Of course. In fact, the area is safe enough for you two maiaaks to sleep.” Then Wyn let out a giggle. “Not that you will.” Then she disappeared into the tent.
Luna looked at Lyzal. “You will not sleep?”
“Do I look like you?” Lyzal scoffed, then got up and jumped into a tree.
Luna looked at Saros for a translation, but he was already lying on the ground, resting his head against the log, facing out into the forest. Letting out a sigh, Luna decided she should get some rest and waited until sleep took her.
The warmth of the sun was such a pleasant change of pace as Luna stirred to the sound of birds chirping. Sitting up and stretching, Luna looked at the bow she had been given last night. Looking around, Lyzal was still out of sight, and Saros looked like he was fast asleep. Grabbing the quiver full of arrows and the bow, Luna made her way to where Vera had taught her, and drew a few arrows to practice. What she hadn’t noticed was that Saros had been watching her the entire time. But he kept quiet the entire time until he heard slight movements from the tents.
Quietly getting up, he snuck up behind Luna. “How are you liking it?”
With a yelp, Luna launched the arrow she had in hand and whipped around to see Saros standing behind her with a mischievous grin.
“Don’t do that! I was trying to be serious.” Luna could feel her face heat as she looked down at the lower part of the bow.
Saros held back his laugh as Lyzal jumped down. Vera came out of her tent, yawning and stretching. Wyn also came out of her tent with the same smile that she had been wearing.
Luna stared, waiting for Odorro to come out, but when he didn’t, “Is Odorro okay?”
“He probably went on his morning walk or whatever he does at the crack of dawn.” Vera ran her fingers through her hair, probably attempting to get the knots out.
But as if he had been summoned, Odorro came from behind the tents, wide awake.
“Glad I caught you before you left,” Odorro spoke at his normal volume, which still sounded a tad too loud. “I wanted to tell you how to get out of this forest.”
Luna perked up. “You know how to get out?”
“Well, I can at least give you directions to the nearest village in whatever direction you’re trying to go in.”
Luna explained how their original plan was to get to Athanasia and how they ended up so far off the path.
“Athanasia, huh? Yeah, you’re pretty far off. Going in the opposite direction, even.”
“We just want to get out of here.” Lyzal reinforced.
“Well, if you want to go to Athanasia,” Odorro pointed towards the right of where they came, telling them they were going to have to go around. “The village you’ll be going to is called Izyn.”
“Izyn?” Luna tilted her head. An odd name for a village.
“Yeah, you don’t want to stay there any longer than you have to. The village is kind of… off. Even to us.” Odorro shrugged.
Luna wanted more detail, but she figured if he wanted to divulge, he would have without question. Making her feel as if whatever was “wrong” with the village would be easy to tell. At least she hoped so. Luna, Lyzal, and Saros were about to make their way when Wyn spoke up.
“I have one more gift to give you.” They all turned around, giving Wyn their attention. “If you want it.”
Her smile seemed more precarious than the smile she had on last night.
“I would like to tell you a reading of your future.”
Luna held the bow closer to herself. “Is that… wise?”
“Nothing that will make the order of nature angry.”
Cautiously, Luna took a step forward. Wyn held out her hand. Luna slowly placed hers in Wyn’s hand. Wyn smiled, then looked down at her hand, then slowly closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. Wind blew past their hair, but Wyn didn’t flinch.
“I see…” she started. After a moment, she slowly opened her eyes, letting go of Luna’s hand, and looked deep into Luna’s eyes. “A significant shift in your path is approaching, and it will change you.”
“Oh,” Luna sighed in relief. “Well, I am learning how to use livine better, thanks to Lyzal.”
“Mhm,” Wyn’s smile did not change as she held it firmly in place, keeping her eyes locked on Luna’s.
Luna gave a small, awkward smile back while taking a step back. “Thank you for everything.” Luna waved at Wyn, Vera, and Odorro.
With no wind or the sound of birds, the area had gone still and silent. None of them waved back as they watched them leave until they couldn’t see them anymore.
