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Side-Story – Renn – Witch: her Teacher – Prologue – A Witch’s Burden

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This home smelled of blood.

Blood and sweat.

“Shush now. Just focus on breathing,” Witch said as she laid her hands on the woman. She placed one hand on her belly, another on her forehead.

I shifted a little, to peer better over Witch’s shoulder. She was leaning forward next to the bed, tending to the woman who had just given birth.

The woman hadn’t stopped bleeding. Even though it had been hours since the child had been born. In the room next door I heard the cooing of a baby, and the rest of the woman’s family. Witch had made them leave, tired of their fussing, so now it was just us three in the room.

A cat, a witch and a dying woman.

Strange combination, I’d say.

“It hurts,” the woman cried, and I noticed the slight change in the air. The hot room suddenly got warmer, but in a different way. It felt as if a breeze had just gone through the stuffy room, trading one heat for another. A different type.

Witch was using her magic.

Studying Witch’s hands as she worked her magic, I tried to see any signs of it. I looked for any hint of magic coming from her hands, such as a glow or something. Yet I saw nothing. No glowing. No change in appearance. By sight alone it was impossible to tell Witch was doing anything at all.

The only change in the world to prove her magic was real was that strange warmth that accompanied it… and the results of it.

“Ow…!” the woman let out a shocked cry, and flinched. She reached up, as to smack away Witch’s hands, but her attempt had done nothing. She must have been too weak, since I knew Witch was as frail and weak as she was.

Although the woman was sickly and weak, I still stepped forward. Just in case I needed to protect my friend and teacher.

She was able to use powerful magic, but physically was as weak as that newborn baby in the other room… it worried me fiercely when she dealt with such wounded humans. You had no idea what they were going to do, even to the person helping them and saving their lives.

They were sometimes strangely unthankful creatures.

“There. I know you’re feeling a lot of pain, but that’s a good thing. You’ll find it to be a sign that it’s working,” Witch said as she lifted her hands from the woman.

If the woman heard her, or understood her, she didn’t show it. She was instead writhing around in her bed, clinging to the damp blankets soaked with sweat.

The sight of her wiggling in pain was actually relieving and a good thing. The woman hadn’t even been strong enough to lift her head from her pillow earlier. Did she even realize she had her strength back already?

Like always Witch’s magic was a wonder.

Reaching out I grabbed Witch by the arm, to help lift her to her feet.

She felt oddly weak and heavy in my hands, which made me cringe in worry.

It was getting worse. She was getting weaker.

“Come. Let’s let them know,” Witch said softly as she turned away from the bed, and the woman still writhing upon it. I was forced to look away from the woman who had just been on death’s door, as to keep hold of Witch. She had stepped away and had almost fallen back to the ground.

I held onto her, keeping her on her feet as she told the woman’s family she would now be fine. That she needed lots of rest and care, to be given fresh food and clean drinks. To also bathe her, since she’d sweat a lot for the next few nights as her body finished healing.

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The human family, like most who the Witch helped, were grateful. They showered Witch in praise, offered her baskets of anything and everything they had. Food. Clothes. Supplies.

Witch turned all of it down, and had us leave with a little haste.

“Thank you! Really!” the woman’s husband had knelt behind us, at the door. He had fallen to his knees, bowing at us as we left. I did my best to ignore the distant neighbors of the human family, who had come out of their homes to watch the scene and find out what all the noise was.

Holding Witch, supporting her, as she clung to my own arm as to keep herself upright, I bit the inside of my cheek hard enough to draw blood.

“Want me to carry you?” I asked softly.

“No. Not yet,” she whispered back weakly.

Blinking blurry eyes, I took a deep breath and felt the wounds in my mouth. I had bitten my cheek too harshly.

I swallowed the blood that filled my mouth, so as to not let Witch notice. She’d heal me if she did… and…

“It feels good, you know,” Witch whispered as we passed the last house in the village.

“Hm…?” I wondered what she meant. The cold winter air? My warmth?

“Helping people,” she answered.

Ah…

I nodded gently at her. “Yes. It does,” I admitted.

For as much as I hated seeing her grow weaker and weaker as she used her magics, I couldn’t help but accept and agree with that opinion.

It did feel good to help people. Right now that woman was writhing in pain in her bed but I knew, from experience myself, that by tomorrow afternoon she’d be up and about. As if she’d never gotten hurt. As if she hadn’t just almost died during childbirth.

Witch took a deep breath and released it. A hazy mist floated upward from her exhale, and I felt her regain a little strength. Her grasp on my arm tightened, and her weight lessened. She was now walking a little better.

That was a good sign. Lately it had been taking her entire days to regain her strength… maybe this time would be different?

“I’d like to try having children,” she then whispered.

Oh…?

“You’d need to find a man first,” I teased her.

Witch giggled and leaned against me a little stronger. “Isn’t that true!” she happily said.

I was very happy to see her so happy and upbeat all of a sudden. Maybe she would be okay this time. She was walking, almost on her own, and already laughing and breathing fine. Maybe this healing hadn’t taken as much from her as the last one had. Her giggling even felt strong. Healthy.

The last one, a few weeks ago, had bedridden her. For four whole days. She had become so weak I had not only had to feed her, I had to specifically make her food as soft as possible. She had been too weak to even chew her food.

“How do you feel, Witch?” I asked softly as he giggling subsided.

“A little tired and hurt… but I think I’ll be okay,” she said.

I sniffed, and hoped she mistook it just for the chilly air causing me problems. She hated it when I cried.

Witch then stumbled. I firmed my grip upon her, taking care not to squeeze her too harshly. She was a frail creature, and there was no point in saving her from falling down if I was just going to break bones while doing so.

Letting out a tiny whine of a groan as I helped her back to her feet, I felt my eyes once more start to sting as they grew blurry.

She wasn’t fine at all!

“Actually…” Witch wheezed as she clung to my arms.

Tears leaked from my eyes as she turned a little, to glance up at me. My beautiful friend and teacher gave me a sad, pained look.

Somehow even her glowing white eyes looked dull.

“Maybe you should carry me, Renn… if you would.”

I was more than happy to do so. I hefted her onto my back, and carefully took her as my burden.

Carrying her was easy. She was so light. So frail. Even though her heart was bigger than anything else in this world, she herself wasn’t much at all.

It was sad to think she used to be a little taller than me. I tried not to remember how she had been fuller than me too. Her arms and legs had been thicker. Her chest larger. Thanks to her thighs being in my arms, as I carried her, I was confronted with the terrible truth. They weren’t even half as round as they had been when we first met.

“Thanks Rennalee,” Witch whispered weakly as she rested her head on my shoulder.

“Mhm,” I wasn’t able to say words as I wept, so I only nodded.

Carrying my friend, we left the human village and headed deeper into the forest. To our home. To those warm walls full of joy.

“Don’t cry, Renn. It’s okay,” she said as she weakly squeezed my neck.

No. It wasn’t.

But I nodded anyway.