Washing up after breakfast took no time at all, with both Elizabeth and I helping. While I still have no intention of letting my guard down around her, what with her being a noblewoman and all, she seemed rather down to earth. I would have expected a noble to freak out about doing the dishes. Honestly, even I had a tendency to procrastinate on chores and housework, or at least I did in my previous world, so her helping without being asked kind of puts the previous me to shame.
And as soon as the chores were finished, we were out the door, ready to head towards the perimeter of the property. As the door swung open, an autumn chill hit us bringing the crisp scent of leaves falling. Our breath was visible as we stepped out into the sunlight, mimicking the mist that hung over the cleared space surrounding Mary’s house. As we headed towards the tree line, I felt a smile start to form on my face before I recalled the purpose of our early-morning walk. Shaking my head, I joined Elizabeth in following after Mary as she headed towards the treeline, her peaked witch hat acting as a guidon for us to follow.
This is probably the first truly otherworldly thing I’ll be doing since coming here. Well, aside from all of yesterday. Registering at a guild is a mainstay of the “ending up in another world” genre, and fighting bandits is something I’ve thankfully managed to avoid having to do before I came to this world. I mean, it wasn’t like I viewed my world as the safest place. I had always been prepared to defend myself if I had to even before coming here, but being worried about some mugger wanting my purse just seems more mundane than a bandit attack. A fully-armed wannabe Dick Turpin just seems more impactful than someone with a stolen Hi-point.
But now we’re going out into the woods, to summon a spirit for information. I know I was excited at the thought of learning magic and apprenticing under a witch, but now that we’re actually going out and practicing it, I can’t help but be excited. Or at least nervous.
It sort of feels like the first day of a new semester. You already have all the administrative stuff done, like registering for classes and dealing with getting the VA course certification stuff done, but you still expect some housekeeping from the professor. Yet there’s always that one professor who jumps right into the material. Except the material usually doesn’t involve dealing with the deceased. Usually, but there was that gross anatomy class I took in undergrad, although that class the professor didn’t point us at a cadaver and tell us to go to town….
“Sorry” Elizabeth said as she bumped into me. She must have been lost in thought. Why is she so close though?
As we entered the tree line, the temperature dropped, and Elizabeth moved closer to me as a chill set in that was far deeper than the switch from sunlight to shad would explain. About 30 meters into the woods disturbed dirt was visible, hinting at the carnage that occurred last night.
“This should be far enough” Mary said, stopping us within sight of were the explosions occurred. Reaching to the ground, she grabbed a stick.
“Watch closely, Rose. This isn’t complicated, but I’d like to be sure you know the process in case you need it later.”
She looked to the ground, and drew a circle about six feet in diameter. Then she drew a line, another, and 3 more after that, crisscrossing across the interior of the circle. While she worked, she hummed softly to herself, and in no time at all she was finished.
“A pentagram?” I inquired.
“They’re just some bandits. It’s not like them dying made them much stronger or anything. Just some basic protection should be enough. Honestly even this much might be overkill; if drawn properly it should be enough to stop even minor demons and wicked fae.”
“It’s just…simple. There’s no ingredients or chanting?”
“Symbols, words and even thoughts are powerful on their own, and are the oldest form of magic there is. Even your world knows a pentagram is a powerful symbol of protection, and it’s not like we’re doing anything too high level. Now you two, get in here so we can start.” We hurried in, then she gestured to Elizabeth who spoke, in the direction of the disturbed earth.
“Spirits, show yourselves”
The mist in the woods coalesced, forming the figures of several bandits. Several seemed unharmed, although others had forms that seemed misshapen, as if black and white photos of the dead from a World War One battlefield had risen and were facing us.
“Now,” Mary said, “You will answer me. I compel you too.” An invisible force seemed to radiate from her as she spoke these words, rustling underbrush as it headed towards the bandits.
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The spirits nodded.
“Why did you attack us specifically?”
“Witch, we were told you often used that trail to visit the town to sell your potions. We assumed you were merely using a potion to repel monsters and had no fighting ability of your own, and were assured that we could capture you if we caught you off guard.”
“Who’s this person telling you all this?”
“One of your sisters, another witch. She gave us a potion to help mask our presence and offered us a reward even if we messed up and killed you.”
A displeased look washed over Mary’s face, the corners of her eyes tightening in anger. The ghost that had been taking to her hesitated a bit, then spoke.
“Mistress Witch…will you put us to rest?”
Mary paused for a bit, then glared at the bandits, radiating an aura of absolute hatred.
“Damn you.”
A colorless fire rose up from the ground, engulfing the spirits before fading away. Mary paused for a moment, the snapped her fingers in the direction of the site where the explosions had occurred last night. Fires flared up, then faded away. Finishing this deed, Mary turned away and headed back towards the house, leaving Elizabeth and myself to hurry along after her.
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We followed Mary back to the house, not speaking a word. The door opened on it’s own, just as it had when she first brought me here, but with none of the corny showmanship she had shown back then. Entering the kitchen, she immediately set to brewing tea, pausing only to grab a bottle of brandy from a cupboard. Only when she had finally sat down, half her tea cup full of liquor, did I work up the courage to speak.
“So, that seemed pretty simple.”
“It was. At the end of the day, it was primarily words.”
“Does that count for all magic?”
“Of course not. We’re witches. We specialize in using and manipulating the innate mana and properties of nature to work magic in a way that’s much more complicated than many of the other schools of magic.”
“But this was only words?”
“Using words is the simplest form of magic, and one of the oldest. Even creation itself was formed this way, although whether it was by the Word, by singing, or by other means is more of a debate for theologians. Words can have unintended magical consequences even with those weakest in magic and can twist reality. Usually, it’s not too big of a deal and minor things get lost in the noise, but words spoken with intention, or rather, incanted can be used to achieve desired effects in most cases. It was the most expedient method to get an answer, and for the initial materialization having our half-elf house guest here address them first was enough to give them form and bring them more solidly into view.”
“Then wouldn’t it be possible to do most tasks with words?”
“That would be wizardry. Wizards tend to take an academic approach to magic, focusing on vocabulary and grammar to focus on getting the most efficient and precise wording in order to create complex magic using this basic principle. Beyond that, they often will use mathematics. Some are even claiming that everything in the world can be broken down into numbers and mathematics. I can understand their viewpoint given my readings into the science of your world, honestly, but that approach just seems cold and headache-inducing.”
“Oh…sounds like me and dealing with science…”
“I know, right? It’s a fascinating subject, but actually feeling and making things physically is just the best!” Mary said, her mood finally brightening. “I knew I lucked out picking you as my apprentice!” She clasped my hands excitedly, a slight flush to her cheeks. I looked down at her empty tea cup.
“Let me get you a glass of water.” Escaping her hands, I grabbed for the pitcher she kept on the table and refilled her teacup from it. “By the way, what were the bandit’s talking about with a witch helping them?”
“That? Well…” She was interrupted by the sound of hoof-beats approaching the house. “I’ll explain later. Elizabeth, it seems your father has arrived.”
……………………………………………………………………………………………
The three of us went outside, to see 5 riders approaching. 3 were clearly knights, wearing full gothic plate, the visors of their helmets raised. They carried sabers at their hips, and held lances resting on the stirrups of their saddles. One of them was leading an empty horse. Another of the riders was wearing a padded gambeson, but his appearance had an almost bookish air. But the one who drew the most attention was the one in the middle.
He had close cropped hair, and a somewhat androgynous face that bore a passing resemblance to both Mary and Elizabeth. His coat was unadorned save for silver buttons with a crest imprinted on each of them, but it looked to be made of a dark green silk, and well-tailored. The rapier he wore at his side seemed like a part of him, and he handled his horse like he had been born in the saddle. As he approached, he let out a yell.
“Girl, what do you think you’re doing running away!”
“I wanted to see auntie’s new apprentice!”
“You know how dangerous the woods are! Just on our way here, we passed by several dead bandits. They could have killed you or kidnapped you and sold you into slavery! And whatever killed them could be just as…oh.”
“Nice to see you, James.”
“Thanks for saving my daughter, sis.”
“It was nothing.”
“Still, it’s partially on me that these bandits were here.”
“No it isn’t.”
“I have a responsibility as the lord here to keep the surrounding lands safe…”
“The bandits were guided by her.”
The lord, James, grimaced.
“I’ll inform the king. Please don’t do anything rash like you did before.”
“She killed Mom and Dad!”
“And the aftershocks of your retaliation are still upsetting the order of our country. Please, let the authorities handle it this time. Plus I’m told you have an apprentice now? You cant leave her unattended. Uhm, Miss…?”
“Snyder. Rose Snyder, sir.” I answered.
“Yes. Please, Mary, don’t do anything rash.”
“…fine.”
“If you end up doing anything, I’ll gladly look after Rose for you, auntie.” Elizabeth interjected.
“Don’t you get started!” James turned to face Elizabeth. “You may be an adult now, but that just means sneaking off into the woods is even less socially acceptable now! And you almost got captured by bandits! We’re going to have a long talk when we get home. Get on your horse.”
Elizabeth sighed, then climbed on to the horse that had been led here by the knight. As she mounted the horse, James turned back towards Mary.
“Please, sister, don’t let yourself get provoked by this.”
“You know what that bitch did to our family.”
“I know. I’ll stay in touch.”
With that he wheeled his horse away and headed back down the forest path towards town. Elizabeth, following reluctantly, turned back towards me and waved at me with a big grin before following after her father. The knights, surrounding them on all sides, seemed to lose a sense of tension I hadn’t noticed they had upon leaving Mary’s presence.
After watching the group leave, Mary began to head back towards the house, motioning with her hand for me to follow. It’s always awkward being present for other people’s family drama, but this case seems to be above and beyond. As if Elizabeth trying to recruit me away from Mary wasn’t awkward enough. But, with the family issues out of the way, I should finally be able to learn about magic, and begin in earnest my life as a witches apprentice.