The man had to stop the corners of his mouth from rising to form an amused smile when he saw the panic on the woman’s face. She was one of them. He knew that from the moment he saw the bramble patch, but this confirmed it. The Chosen was unexpected. From what he’d heard, this one wasn’t old enough to have one yet. Fortunately, it seemed that the woman had only arrived in spring, which meant the boy hadn’t been her Chosen for long. However, that didn’t change the fact that he was a complication.
He quickly got over his surprise aside and took in the room. Potted plants were everywhere, and creepers coiled around the beams overhead. The kitchen table the woman was standing next to was also overflowing with plants and strange potions. Entering one of these creature’s lairs was always dangerous, but he decided it was better to deal with her in here rather than outside in the garden he had just walked through. He looked her in the eye as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. The bramble patch was the source of her power and was burning swiftly, so waiting benefitted him. The question now was how long would it take her to realize that?
“Chosen, protect your mistress!” the woman shrieked.
The boy jerked strangely and let out a roar before charging. The man’s hand went for his sword. He was about to draw it but hesitated before striking the boy across the cheek with the back of his gauntleted fist. The blow should have knocked him flat on his back, but the boy was only stunned. It only took him a moment to snarl ferally before lunging again.
The man sidestepped the clumsy lunge before sticking a foot out to trip the boy up. As he stumbled, the man grabbed him by the shirt and trousers and hoisted him effortlessly into the air just as the creepers from overhead dropped down. They curled around the boy before hoisting him into the air and binding him to the ceiling.
The man drew his short sword with one hand and removed one of his throwing knives from the bandolier under his overcoat with the other. He hurled the throwing knife at the woman’s throat as she began an incantation. However, he was a hair too slow, and as she finished her incantation, a nearby plant swung one of its broad leaves, swatting the knife aside.
The woman completed another incantation as the man hacked the leaves aside with his sword. Thorns burst from a nearby plant. The man raised his arm and grunted as the thorns embedded themselves in his arm. His arm burned as their poison flowed through his body, but he ignored it and slashed a vine as it arced towards him. The woman grunted as he kicked her square in the chest, knocking her onto her back.
She hissed and attempted to scramble to her feet, but the man planted his boot on her chest. He winced as the woman’s fingernails pierced his leather boots and scratched at his feet. Her eyes went wide, and she withdrew her talons when she saw he had poised the tip of his sword over her neck.
“Wait!” she exclaimed. “My life is protected by the edicts.”
The man hesitated. This was not the first time he had heard these edicts mentioned. The woman began to cackle. “That’s right, I have the king’s protection. You have to take me in alive.”
“I have to do no such thing,” the man said bluntly before bringing his blade down on the woman’s neck.
Her body twitched, and a second brutal hack severed her head completely. The man examined his work until he heard a loud thump from behind him.
“Aahhhh, what have you done?” he heard the boy wail.
The man sighed. His master had drilled it into his head that taking care of the victims was also part of his duties. He picked the severed head up and turned around to face the boy who had picked himself up and was glaring at him with tear filled eyes.
“Good, your rage has subsided,” he began.
“You’ve killed her!” the boy cried. “You’ve fallen for their lies! She has never harmed a soul!”
“Open your eyes, damn you!” the man roared as he grabbed him roughly by the neck and turned him towards the cage in the living room.
The boy was taken aback by the venom in the man’s voice. Then, he looked at the cage and gasped. Sitting inside was Peggy Danton. She looked emaciated as she stared out the window with unblinking eyes.
“The woman you knew as Adrianna was a witch,” the man began.
He then staggered and grabbed onto the table to stop himself from falling. He removed a vial from his bandolier and uncorked it with his teeth. He spat the cork onto the ground and quaffed the contents of the vial before cursing himself. Another lapse. One that would have cost him his life if he had been fighting a more powerful witch wielding more potent magic.
“What has she done to her?” the boy asked.
“Witches feed on the life essence of children to fuel their magic,” the man replied.
“Will she be alright?” the boy asked.
The man shook his head. “I am afraid she’s too far gone to be saved.”
“This has to be some sort of mistake.” The boy said as tears streamed down his cheeks. “She couldn’t have done this.”
The man felt his eyebrow twitch and took a deep breath to curb his anger. “Take a look at your precious mistress’ true face!”
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
The boy fell onto his backside when the man held the head up for him to see. It was a grotesque, wrinkled thing with twisted features and a mouth full of broken teeth. However, the resemblance was undeniable even to him. A wave of nausea engulfed him, and he threw up over himself.
“Wonderful,” the man remarked dryly as he observed the boy carefully. “You are fortunate. Severing the connection between a mistress and her Chosen is often deadly, but she was a young witch, and not very powerful. She also didn’t have you under her spell for long.”
“I don’t feel fortunate,” the boy said glumly. He looked up at the man and saw that he was younger than he initially thought. “Are you a witch hunter?”
“I suppose you could call me that,” he allowed. “Though I’m not one of those charlatans who charges superstitious peasants a small fortune to execute innocent women.”
The boy swallowed and nodded as he eyed the head in the man’s hand. “My friends call me Reggie.”
The man grunted in acknowledgement. His head was swimming, and he could feel himself swaying back and forth. Had he waited too long to take the antidote after all?
“The fire’s growing stronger,” Reggie remarked worriedly as he looked out the window. Shouts of alarm could be heard in the distance. He then looked at the man and frowned. “Say, mister, you’re looking a little poorly.”
“Call me Cal,” the man murmured before collapsing in a heap.
Cal smelt smoke and opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by flames. Only he wasn’t in Four Fields. He was in his childhood home. His friends and family were gathered around his bed, screaming in agony. Looming over them was a red haired woman. The red haired woman. Cackling at his plight. She looked him in the eye and smiled at him demurely before disappearing into the flames.
“Mister Cal?”
The voice was familiar. It was the boy’s. He was the witch’s Chosen. The cabin they were in was on fire! Cal gasped and tried to spring to his feet but found himself lying in a handcart. He extricated himself and sprang to his feet before looking around frantically. He was standing in an unfamiliar room. The boy was there, standing next to a woman he did not recognize. There was a window by the bed and from it, he could see the fire still raging in the bramble patch and men and women were working tirelessly to prevent it from spreading to the nearby buildings.
“How do you feel?” It was a woman’s voice.
Cal’s eyes strayed to a nearby mirror and was surprised to see that he had been stripped to the waist exposing his scarred body. He held up his arm and saw that six ugly purple weals where the thorns had pierced his skin and shook his head. He had drunk an antidote but failed to remove the thorns or treat the wounds. Small wonder he had passed out.
“My name is Edith, you are in my home,” she continued.
Cal looked around slowly. They were in a small two room house. The furnishings were sparse. A single large table, three chairs with uneven legs, a cold hearth, and an empty pantry. It appeared times were hard for Edith.
“Look at the state of you, poor child,” she said compassionately.
Cal clicked his tongue irritably and turned around to face the woman. She had a careworn face, and he towered over her. “I am no child. I’m already nineteen.”
“That’s still a child by my reckoning,” Edith sniffed indignantly. “But I must thank you for dealing with that foul woman. Please, sit down and I’ll see to your wounds. You woke up almost as soon as we brought you here.”
Cal felt the woman’s fingers on his arm and jerked it away. “Don’t touch me!”
“Don’t talk to my mother like that!” Reggie cried as he swiftly placed himself between the pair.
Edith looked up at him, shocked, and Cal felt a pang of guilt. “I’m sorry… I don’t like being touched…”
The woman nodded slowly. “I can’t pretend to know what you’ve been through… A witch hunter at your age…”
“Thank you, you saved my life,” the young man managed.
“You were lucky I was down there looking for that lovestruck son of mine,” she said with a wry smile. “I have to say, I was shocked. I thought she was a woman of ill repute, for sure, but a witch...”
She paused and shook her head. “Poor Peggy Danton…”
“Witch hunters are normally rewarded by the locals after a successful hunt…” Cal began.
“I’m afraid you shall go empty handed this time,” Edith sighed.
Cal raised an eyebrow. “I don’t do this for the money, but I’ve provided an important service, and some compensation should be expected.”
“Oh you’ve done us a favour, there is no doubt about that,” the woman began and then gestured at the fire that was visible through the window. “However, at the same time…”
Cal rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Yes, about that…”
“I hate to say this after all you’ve done, but you had best make yourself scarce before the others realize you are still here,” Edith said.
“I suppose this wouldn’t be the first time I had to slink away after completing a hunt,” Cal remarked sourly.
“Where will you go?” Reggie asked.
Cal sighed. “South, probably. There will be fields to work there.”
“You said you were a witch hunter,” Reggie pointed out.
Cal smiled wryly as he found his tunic at the bottom of the handcart and pulled it on. “Well, I’m not getting paid for this job, and there is no telling when I’ll catch the scent of another witch. In the meantime, I need to eat.”
The boy frowned thoughtfully before sighing. “I don’t suppose you could take me with you, could you?”
“What are you talking about, Reginald?” His mother cried, aghast. “Do you plan on running off to become a witch hunter?”
“I can’t stay here, mother!” Reggie replied. “The whole town knows I was close to Adrianna. I’ve heard what they do to witch’s collaborators!”
“Look at the toll witch hunting has taken on this poor young man’s body!” Edith said. “You wouldn’t survive…”
Cal cleared his throat uncomfortably. “I just want to say that I have no intention to take up an apprentice.”
“Thank you, young man,” Edith said. She was about to place her hand on Cal’s arm but saw him flinch and thought better of it.
“However, the boy is right, he can’t stay here,” Cal continued. “He’d be lucky to receive a summary execution if the Inquisition ever caught wind of what happened here.”
Edith looked at her feet and frowned thoughtfully for a moment. “Then you could take him south with you, do some odd jobs until everything here has died down,”
She then turned her gaze to her son. “You find somewhere to settle down and send word here when you do. We will figure out what to do from there, alright?”
“Fine, mother,” Reggie sighed at length.
The woman nodded before turning her attention back to Cal. “You’ll do that for us, won’t you?”
“I’m no babysitter…” Cal began.
“We did save your life, you know,” Edith pointed out.
“And I dealt with your witch!” Cal exclaimed.
She glanced out the window and smirked. “Burning down half our town in the process.”
“Please, I need your help,” Reggie added.
Cal looked at him and couldn’t help but empathize with the boy’s plight. “Fine.”
“Thank you,” the woman sighed, brushing away tears of relief.
Shouts came from outside. They were closer this time, and Cal could see through the window that the fire had already engulfed the building two doors down.
“I’ve prepared some supplies in a small bag next to the back door,” the woman said. “Take them and leave, quickly.”