Three years Galia and I lived in the safety of our house. Rasmus always made it a point to remind us that this was our home, not his. Huiling lived with us, acting as a house mother and tutor. Ash and Ember, our two Norwegian Elkhounds lived with us as well and acted as guard dogs. They also loved to sleep on my bed and keep me warm. Galia wasn’t as fond of the pair, having never gotten used to the dogs since day one.
Galia and I both learned languages, math, and how to read. Our biggest lesson was in the ritual magic of Witch Craft. Huiling told Galia and me, “I have been one of Rasmus’ instructors for many years. I move from house to house, teaching the children that Rasmus shelters. Most of the children are girls. Boys can work in the fields and protect their villages. Thus they are less likely to be discarded. Girls with little to no prospects are considered a burden on their families. Rasmus evaluates each child he brings to a home and then decides what kind of training would best suit each child.”
Huiling continued to tell us how boys were often trained in combat and went to work for Rasmus and some of his friends protecting certain villages in volatile areas of the world. I didn’t know precisely where all of Rasmus’ houses and villages were. I barely knew where in Norway I was.
Huiling insisted that Galia and I study four days a week on our reading and math. For our language studies, we switched each week to a different language once we had the basics down. Huiling could have taught modern schools about the benefits of immersive education. Huiling worked with Galia and I until we had solid fundamentals in reading and writing our native Norwegian, speaking Chinese, Greek, Celtic, and Germanic. I took to languages like a fish to water, but Galia often became frustrated and would get exceptionally flustered if I tried to help her.
Magic was a fascinating subject. Galia took to learning everything about Witch Craft as if she had been doing it all her life. I understood the harnessing of arcane energies to bring my will into being, but the rituals seemed like a waste of time to me. Huiling insisted that the pattern of each spell was necessary to keep the arcane energy from overwhelming the user and thus bending the Witch to the will of the magic.
I tried to keep up with the lessons Huiling taught us and follow the prescribed formula she insisted we use for wielding magic and creating everything from potions to straight-up immediate effects. I had the worst time with patience. I didn’t understand why. I could stand in the yard with the hanging carcass of a deer and skin it entirely without losing any meat or hide. I could cut each selection of venison and miss very little usable meat. I made tools from the bones, and when I was finished, there was little to no waste. I could do this slowly and with a patient precision that drove Galia to distraction, yet I could not read the formula for a spell to create light and follow the instructions without feeling as though I was wasting time. Why it was so wrong to call up a ball of light without fanfare and be done with it, I did not understand.
Huiling was exacting, and she expected Galia and I to follow her instructions at all times. Still, she never became angry or showed disappointment when I would become frustrated with the elaborate rituals. I remember going to my bed with tears in my eyes over my self-inflicted frustration. Galia would climb into bed with me and hold me as I cried, whispering soft words of love and support. Galia had become my sister at this point, and I don’t think either of us would have made it without the other. Being so close to Galia is what made losing her so poignant to me.
Huiling taught Galia and me how to cast spells and perform the ritual for the next three years. I was still having trouble with the long processes, but my ability to wield the arcane was still more spontaneous than Huiling would like. I did each ritual and followed her instructions, yet the magic did not build like it was supposed to. I would not feel the energy until I was ready to exert my will and create whatever effect I had in mind. Most of the time, I felt my power coming from the ground rather than the air or nature like Huiling kept trying to get me to feel. I just could not make the rituals work.
Huiling had found a perfect student in Galia, but when Rasmus appeared after the three years had passed, she told him that he needed to find a different teacher for me. I was not a Witch.
“You cannot teach her?” Rasmus sounded surprised and annoyed.
“She is not a Witch. Galia is a natural-born Witch and takes to the rituals and processes as if she had always been doing them.” Huiling came over and hugged me. “Aryanna has the spark for magic, but her abilities are those of a Sorcerous, not a Witch. You need to bring Alexander from the southern house here to teach her.” Huiling walked over to where Galia was standing. “Come, child, you and I need to pack.”
I stood in shocked silence. Pack? “Where are you going? Why do you have to leave?”
“Aryanna, you must understand, a Witch’s power comes from the balance of her powers through the rituals. A Sorcerous uses power in its raw form to create the effects she wants. The wild nature of Sorcery and the balanced nature of Witchcraft will always clash. It is why even though you and Galia love one another as sisters, you are always arguing over the simplest things.” Huiling moved to the sleeping chamber and began gathering her things. Galia followed her, and as I stood there, tears pouring down my face, she packed her things and followed Huiling to the yard.
Galia and I hugged and said our goodbyes, and then she and Huiling mounted a pair of horses and rode out of the palisade gate. I wanted to object, I wanted to cry out for her not to go, but I knew that once Huiling and Rasmus had made a decision, there was no arguing.
Rasmus came to where I stood and hugged me as I cried. I woke later to find that I was in my bed, but there was no Galia to hug me from behind and soothe the ache in my heart. I got up and dressed. Walking into the kitchen area, I found the house was empty. Even Rasmus had left, probably to fetch the Sorcerer Alexander. I put the cauldron over the fire to heat the remains of the last stew so I could eat.
“Aryanna! Come assist me in the yard, please.”
Rasmus’ voice carried into the house. I ran outside to assist him. I found him tying his horse to the hitching post, and he handed me the lead to the second horse. I looked up to see a young man sitting there, staring down at me as though I was a servant.
“Please help Alexander off the horse and place him in a chair in the main room.” Rasmus indicated I should carry the man.
I climbed one of the haybales that Galia always used to mount up and picked Alexander up in my arms. I made sure I had a good hold on him and then jumped down from the hay.
“Careful, girl! Drop me, and I will make sure you pay dearly.” Alexander hissed in my ear.
I smiled at him and then carried him to the house, into the main room, and set him on the chair Galia always used. I turned to go back to assist Rasmus.
“Bring me something to eat, we did not breakfast this morning, and I am famished,” Alexander demanded.
I turned, looked at the man who had just been brought into my home, and nodded without a word. I gathered a fair helping of salted venison and some fruit and put it on a serving board. Carefully I carried it to where Alexander sat and then grabbed a cup and filled the pitcher with water. After making sure that Alexander was set, I headed for the door.
“Come back here, girl!” Alexander spoke as though I had done something wrong.
“Was there something else you required?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, of course, there is. You will feed me. I also prefer wine with my meal, and you will find my skin is with my pack there where Rasmus placed it.” I looked and could see that indeed, a pack and a lovely wineskin were on the floor near the door.
“I will get your wine Alexander, but I will be damned if I will feed you as though you were a child.” I walked over and grabbed the skin and brought it to him. “You can use the cup, but you will have to drink the water therein before putting wine in the cup. Or you can drink straight from the skin. Enjoy your meal.” I headed for the door once again.
“You will get back over here and do as I tell you.” Alexander sneered from where he sat. I ignored him and went out the door to find the courtyard was empty except for a large buck hanging from the post. It would be another day before it would be ready to be skinned and butchered as I could tell that it was still draining, Rasmus must have just killed it before arriving.
I shook my head and went back into the house. As I stepped into the kitchen with the inner loins from the table outside, I felt something coming at me. I threw my hand out and was able to deflect the bolt of magic that Alexander had thrown at me, just. My hand went numb, and my arm tingled as if I had slept on it. I looked over at the man who was watching me with narrowed eyes, studying what I had done. I took the loins over to the table and began cutting them up to put in a new stew. When I finished cutting the meat up and had it in the pot for braising, I raided the vegetable cupboard for carrots and onions to go into the stew.
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Alexander called out, “That will keep. I still have not eaten and am hungry.”
“Then eat. I am not your servant Alexander. I am your student, I am here to learn how to control my magic from you, but I will be damned if I will play slave as well. If this displeases you, then please, feel free to blast me with your skills, but it will change nothing.” I stood and faced the man with a look that I hoped told him I was serious.
“Very good. I had hoped that Rasmus had found me a student who could stand up for herself. I hate the children that simper and whine that I am too hard on them, or that I maltreat them.” He nodded and then with a sigh, “I do, however, need you to feed me. It is not some odd Master/Student thing I am insisting on, but rather, I am incapable of doing it myself. I was injured during a battle between two warlords that spilled into the valley where one of Rasmus’ houses lay. I cannot walk on my own, and while I can move my arms and hands, the finer movements, like grasping a knife to cut the meat or a spoon to eat with, are lost to me.” Alexander looked at the serving board I had placed before him. “Please, Aryanna, I ask of you, would you assist me?”
I turned to the pot and finished brazing the meat, then poured a fair amount of water into the kettle and set it to start heating up. I then walked over and fed my teacher his dinner, even getting him to drink the water in his cup first before I would pour him any wine. He laughed when I told him this was not negotiable.
“Now, I see why Huiling could not teach you. She needs her students to follow the rules to an exact point. You, my dear one, prefer to do things your way. That is excellent for a Sorcerous. Our powers are derived from the elements, each of us finding a different way to do the same things, and sometimes different things.” He chuckled.
“Is that why I felt better when I was just standing on the ground and not playing with small cauldrons and fire and all the extra chanting?” I asked.
“Yes, that is what I am saying. Had you been able to pull your magic from the air or fire, Huiling might have realized sooner that you were not a Witch. As it is, drawing from the earth is rare, and will require you to figure out many things on your own. I can teach you to call your power, focus it, and wield it in common use, but your connection to the earth itself will be on you.” He nodded as I offered him another piece of venison.
While Alexander chewed that mouthful, I went and checked the pot and began adding the vegetables to the stew, along with some of my favorite spices. I chuckled while I cooked as I realized that Alexander wasn’t just my magic trainer, he was here to give me someone to take care of, to replace Galia. I finished adding all the vegetables to the stew and moved back to continue helping Alexander with his breakfast.
“I am ready when you are Alexander. Teach, and I will learn.”
“Excellent to hear, dear Aryanna. First things first, sit on the floor and ground yourself. I want to see how much energy you can pull in just a singular focus.”
I sat and looked up at Alexander, and then with a smile, I closed my eyes and began my meditation.
**************
I found myself staring out Superior Caffeine Desire’s front window as I trailed off. Dani and Melody were both giving me looks of sympathy, while Johan was waiting with much angst for me to continue. I chuckled at the look on everyone’s faces.
“Relax, relax. I will continue with the story. I just haven’t really thought about Galia in so many years. She was the first female I can remember having a bond with. My own mother died when I was but a toddler. The women in the village were either too busy raising their own families or warming multiple men’s beds to care about one little girl.” I grabbed a napkin from the table and dabbed at my eyes.
Looking out at the parking lot again, I noticed a figure kneeling near Dani’s car. I could not tell if they were male or female, but I did recognize the device they placed under the driver's side of the vehicle. I quietly stood and excused myself. “Be right back, and no one moves from here.”
Melody stood and grabbed my arm. “I saw them too, and there is another device under my car. I am calling this in, but you are not going out there.”
I looked in time to see another person moving at a squat away from Melody’s car. I looked at the woman who had a grip on my arm. “You expect me just to let this go?”
“No, let me call this in and allow the bomb squad and police to do their jobs.” Melody had her phone on speaker, and a dispatcher came on the line. “This is Melody Cook, id 061-465. I need bomb squad, fire department, and police support at Superior Caffeine Desire on business seventy-seven. I have just witnessed two individuals placing car bombs in the parking lot, and this is related to the attack earlier today.”
I listened as the dispatcher went through a couple of fast identification verification protocols, then reported that units were being dispatched. Two minutes later, we all heard sirens approaching. I looked around the coffee shop to see that Dani and Johan were calming the staff and patrons of the shop and keeping them from trying to leave. I considered whether The Crusade for Humanity’s Purity would try to bomb the building, and went out back to check. I found a bomb on the main gas line just outside the rear door of the shop.
“Dani, Johan, get everyone out of here through the side exit and across the street NOW!” I ran back into the central area of the store. Melody was talking to police and fire officials as the bomb squad was looking under both cars. I ran up to Melody and told her and the two officers what I had seen out the back door.
Dani and Johan had all the employees and customers cleared as the bomb squad sent members around back. The building with a gas line was more important than two cars. The fire and police officials moved Melody and me out the front door over towards one of the fire trucks now parked in the lot when I felt a punch in my right shoulder. I was spun around one full turn and looked at my shoulder. A red stain was rapidly surrounding a hole in my shirt that was not there when I got dressed this morning.
Melody looked at what I was staring at when another punch hit me in the sternum. I staggered backward and looked up. Standing on the roof of a building across the street was a sniper, and whoever this person was, they were observing me assessing if another shot would be necessary. I growled and was going to run across the street when Melody grabbed my arm.
“I have officers already on their way up to the roof, please stay here with me.”
I was about to answer when Melody cried out, and a bloody spot appeared on her left shoulder. One of the officers with us grabbed Melody and laid her down, and I made it to the rear of the building and up the fire escape in a matter of seconds. Ducking behind the airconditioning unit on the roof, I watched the shooter as their head snapped back and forth, trying to find me on the street.
“Well, Vampiro, if you will not stand still to be eliminated, I will simply finish the woman that is still there.” The sniper lifted the rifle to their shoulder once again and began sighting through the scope. I walked nearly silently up behind what I now knew was a male.
I grabbed the man’s throat in one hand and pulled his balaclava off his head with the other. “I suggest that unless you wish a lesson on how flying from a three-story building feels, you put the rifle down. Your choice pikkhode, flight, or surrender? One of those lets you live, the other has a chance of life, but you will likely enjoy the confines of a wheelchair.”
“Aryanna! Don’t, don’t let them make you the monster they claim you are.” Melody’s voice reached me from the ground.
“I knew you were a Vampiro, Anna Bondevik, you have just proven it by surviving a wood laced bullet to the chest.” My captive growled. “I may end up in prison, but The Crusade will have this proof.”
I laughed. “You are an idiot. If you look carefully, you can see that while my shoulder is bleeding, my chest is not.” The shooter looked, and his eyes widened as he realized I was not bluffing. I pulled my shirt open and showed him the ballistic cloth vest I was wearing. “It hurt like hell, but the vest is made with an electronic element, a personal shield if you will. I don’t like being shot, and I don’t appreciate the threats your organization is leveling at my family.” I pushed the shooter until he was right at the edge of the roof. “Ready for your flying lesson?”
“Aryanna, don’t, please.” I looked down to the parking lot and could see Melody had made it to her feet and was pleading with me for this pikkhode’s life. I was seeing red and having trouble understanding why Melody would care about this man’s life.
“Please, Aryanna, I know this filth just tried to kill us both, but if you don’t let the authorities do their jobs, then you are proving that The Crusade is right about you.” Melody was pleading now. I didn’t take the time to wonder why she sounded like she was standing right at my shoulder.
I looked at the man whose life now hung in the balance and smiled at him. I kicked his rifle to my right and then threw him to the roof at my feet. The sniper lay unmoving, trying desperately to gain his breath back after I had been squeezing his windpipe just moments before.
I reached down and pulled his arms behind him, and then looked at the officers who had come to the roof. “Well? You gonna get out your cuffs and restrain this pikkhode, or should I toss him from the roof after all?”
One of the officers gave me a mirthless smile and cuffed the sniper. I walked to the roof access and headed for the street. When I reached Melody, she hugged me tight and whispered in my ear, “Thank you, Anna, I just found you. I am not ready to lose you yet.” I pulled back and looked Melody in the eye. I gently ran the back of my hand down her cheek.
“I think you need to hear the rest of my story before you start making declarations like that.” I then turned and walked down the stairs to the street and headed over to see what progress the bomb squad had on the cars and building.
Melody caught up to me and grabbed my hand.
“Nice try, but I don’t scare easily. I will wait until you have told me your story if I must, but it will make no difference in what I want.” Melody squeezed my hand and then walked towards the detective in charge of the scene.
“And just what is it you want, Melody?” I called after her.
She smiled at me over her shoulder, “I want what any Witch wants from her Mate.”
I stopped and watched as Melody joined the senior officers on-site to give her report. I shook my head and whispered to no one in particular, “Mate? Is that even possible after all this time?” I turned to check my car when the second part of what Melody said hit. “Witch? Melody is a Witch?” I laughed to myself as I realized that Alexander had known; it had just taken nearly six and a half thousand years for his vision to come true.
Once the vehicles and coffee shop were cleared, Melody and I were seen by the paramedics for our shoulders. Both of us had taken a round from the sniper, and both of us were showing nearly healed wounds. I was surprised that the paramedics didn’t question us when Melody explained.
“These guys know I am a Witch, they know I specialize in healing, so they look me over any time I get hurt for official reasons, but rarely do they have to transport. Very likely they are assuming I healed us both.”
Dani, Johan, Melody, and I reconvened at my house. I knew it was secure, the boys from my tech firm had been here and replaced the front door hinges and the one window that had been compromised. I went to the kitchen and started the coffee maker and pulled the cookie jar down from its spot on a shelf.
I brought coffee and cookies to the living room where everyone was seated.
“I am going to have to sell this house, but for right now, I am confident in its safety. So, where were we before being so rudely interrupted by the Crusade?”
Melody chuckled and reminded me I had just been talking about my first lesson with Alexander.