The black eyed witch, p.7
The Black Eyed Witch, page 7
“Is she with you?”
Ronan nods and introduces her. Daniel’s smile widens.
“Well, you were always after special women. Just did not expect that special.”
He laughs as he shakes Lithia’s hand, who feels a bit astound by the reception. After a quick rundown of the situation, Daniel’s face darkens.
He takes the weapon and inspects it carefully.
“Amazing craftsmanship,” he says, astonished. “I have heard of these bugs. Very hard to find but some alchemists try to farm and sell them all over the land. They are a very good light source and last longer than a fire. But it looks like they create a force I have never come across before. It seems that rubbing the wool on the glass creates some sort of energy that congregates at the front. Looks like that, when it is full there, it only escape is the front.”
“Well, whatever it is, it flies right at you and destroys pretty much anything in its path,” says Ronan, sharply.
“I would need more time to really understand it. It is just remarkable. Anyway, what is that you are after?”
“Something to protect my eyes from strong winds. Their horses are faster than our regular ones. I was thinking of some little pieces of glass in front of the helmet.”
Daniel looks intrigued at the prospect. He stands there, elaborating his thoughts on how to do it.
"Give me some time. Come back in maybe two hours or so. By the way, may I keep this weapon? I’d like to study it later on,” asks Daniel.
Lithia and Ronan agree and walk out the shop.
After two hours they return to the shop. Daniel happily announces that he mastered something.
“Since you will be traveling at the speed of the wind, I think it would be advisable to wear something light, something you can put away if not needed. Better than carrying a big helmet around. So I put some woven glasses on this leather that fits on to your head. Give it a try.”
He gives Ronan a leather headgear that looks like a slim helmet. The glass pieces are stitched tidily inside two holes. He puts it on and the feeling is surprisingly comfortable. It even covers his ears, held together by a leather string under his chin. The glasses cover his eyes entirely, but he can see clearly what is in front of him.
Ronan thanks Daniel for his work, pays him and apologizes for leaving so soon. Daniel obliges happily and wishes him luck and a safe journey.
Lithia and Ronan pick up their horses from the stable and ride away. Once the town is out of sight, they see a straight, empty road is ahead. Ronan decides to try out the contraption. Lithia starts to laugh at him.
“Let me guess,” he says sarcastically. “I look silly in it, right?”
Lithia keeps on laughing as she shakes her head in agreement.
Ronan ignores her and orders the horse to run. He slowly keeps on accelerating and notices Lithia right next to him. The contraption seems to work. The wind does not whistle loudly in his ears and his eyes do not shed any tears. But the glasses do press around his eye sockets. He must have reached full speed of the horse because his surroundings are just lines passing by while his path is a small dot. He leans far forward that he can just see above the horse’s head. He manages to pull on the reins and orders the horse to slow down until it stops completely. Lithia is in front of him when he finally can see his surroundings clearly. He lets out a big sigh of relief but still feels dizzy.
“That was really fast. I am even afraid to breathe in case something flies into my mouth. But I can’t see anything. My vision is like lines flying past me. Also, I feel a bit sick.”
“Don’t worry. I was in front of you, guiding your horse. Otherwise you would have ridden into the woods,” says Lithia grinning.
Ronan is a bit surprised by that. He removes the headgear and massages his head to get the blood that he felt like it was pushed out of his head back again.
“Feeling better now? Our next stop will be a small secluded village where we will pick up Maria. She is hiding from Noran as well.”
Chapter 9
They rode for nearly five hours with several stops in-between for Ronan, to recover from the extreme speed he is not accustomed with. The headgear helped him tremendously but he still does not have the strength to hold himself continuously at a speed not meant for humans.
Lithia has been respectful and did not show any hostility for the constant holdup he has been causing, even if he has constantly been asking where they were.
“Just to let you know, you are doing fine,” Lithia compliments Ronan while he walks slowly around.
Ronan, a bit woozy after seeing his surroundings flashing by, had to get his orientation back.
“I will give you a choice. If we ride at this speed we will be at the village in over an hour. Riding at your speed we would arrive in, maybe, four hours.”
Ronan thinks for a moment.
“Well, the good thing is that your horses don’t get tired, so I like to ride at a speed that allows me to make out what is around. Gives me a break from wearing this all the time.”
“I agree. Your hair looks like a mess and you still look silly with this thing on,” she says, laughing.
“Well, at least something you find hilarious. Maybe you wear it so I can laugh at you, too.”
He holds out the gear but Lithia refuses.
“It suits you more,” she says, still grinning.
They take the road again and, soon, he feels well enough to continue to ride at a comfortable speed for him, while Lithia silently rides ahead, guiding him.
Two hours have passed when they notice smoke rising into the red sky of the sunset. Lithia stops with a worried look.
“Let me guess,” says Ronan. “That is the village your friend is at, right?”
“I don’t like this. We better get a move on.”
The smell of burned wood and flesh is in the air the closer they get to the village. No one can be seen to extinguish the fire, no one cries for help.
“That is strange. I can’t sense anyone. Not even livestock.”
“Where is everyone? No one would abandon their home without trying to extinguish it.”
They continue down the road and finally see a few horses and cows roaming in the fields, but still no human or any sign of Maria.
As they arrive, some of the village houses are on flames. Dead bodies of men, women and children are on the streets. Some of them mutilated.
“What the fuck happened here? Don’t tell me Maria lost it,” asks Ronan.
“Not her. Not even on her worst day she could do anything like that.”
Lithia, shocked at that sight, looks around for Maria, hoping she is alive. They step off their horses and continue looking for her on foot.
Lithia holds out her hand and says that she senses four humans ahead, behind an unburned house.
“Maybe they are survivors,” Lithia hopes, and starts to run towards them.
Ronan quickly follows. Four filthy dressed males emerge from the corner after Lithia shout out to them.
Ronan stops and scans the men from head to toe. Something doesn't feel right. All of them are clean shaved and unharmed. He puts his hand on his sword but doesn’t draw it.
“What happened here?” asks Lithia. “Do you know where Maria is?”
One of the men grabs her shoulders.
“Thank you, thank you for coming” he says, while two others walk towards Ronan. He draws his sword.
“Lithia. They are scavengers,” he shouts.
Before Lithia and Ronan can react, the scavengers blow a powder in to their faces. Ronan, several meters away from the two approaching men, still inhales a big load of powder. Both cough heavily.
“Well, well. Looks like we got another one. She also looks even better,” says one of the men, lustfully.
“Boys, I will enjoy fucking her to death. You two, you deal with him.”
Lithia is starting to get hysterical and swings her sword in the air, screaming in fear of the creatures surrounding her. The two men around her keep their distance, laughing in enjoyment.
Ronan holds his ground and checks his surroundings. The sky is swirling with bright colours and the two men who slowly approach him have blue skin, red clothing and flames coming out of their eyes. He sees houses floating in the air and faceless creatures with white eyes staring at him.
Yet, Ronan remains calm and starts to chuckle. The two men look at each other in surprise.
“Well, that’s a first. Everyone else was screaming their lungs out after inhaling these mushrooms,” says one of them.
His voice sounds deep and growly to Ronan. He starts to laugh loudly after hearing the man speak.
Ronan looks at Lithia, who is still screaming hysterically, swinging her sword menacingly around. The two men keep their distance from her while laughing. Ronan’s eyes return on the astonished men and grins with an evil smile.
“You have no idea how you two shitheads are looking now. But it won’t matter. You will be very dead soon. But first let me thank you for making me feel good again. The last few days have been really shitty. Having these mushrooms after over ten years is very refreshing.”
The men are speechless. He approaches them quickly before they can draw their sword. He stabs the nearest one through the throat and evades the blow from the other, whom he then heavily kicks in the stomach and sends flying to the street. Ronan keeps that evil smirk as he pulls out the sword from the man’s throat, who gurgles on his own blood and falls on his knees. Ronan walks calmly towards the man on the ground who sits up holding his chest, gasping for air. Without hesitation Ronan splits the man’s head in half before the man can shout for help.
He turns around and sees that the other man he stabbed in the throat is still gurgling. A pool of blood emerges underneath him until he stops breathing and lays motionless, eyes wide open in his own blood.
Ronan looks at the other two who were still occupied with Lithia. This time they have gotten the drop on her. One is holding her down, punching her on the head to subdue her. The other man is trying to remove her clothing. They do not notice the commotion Ronan caused just before.
He runs quickly and kicks the one who is about to remove her pants at the side of the head. The skull cracks. Before even comprehending what is happening, a sword impales him through his nose. Ronan kicks him in the face and the man hits the stone wall of the house behind him. The skull cracks and slithers to the ground as brains and blood slowly drip down the wall. The groaning man, holding his head as he tries to stand up, looks at Ronan.
“How the hell the mushrooms have no influence on you?” he shouts.
Ronan doesn’t respond and stomps him in the face. He repeats stomping until the man’s head explodes and his brains spread out onto the street.
Lithia curls up and whimpers in pain and fear. Ronan gently puts his arms under her and lifts her up. She tries to free herself but is too weak.
“It’s me, it’s just me.”
Her arms drop. Her head is covered in her own blood and her eyes are half closed. As Ronan carries her to the outskirts of the village, she manages to put her arm around his head and lifts her lips as close as she can to his ear. He hears just an indistinct whisper. He stops and holds her head closer to his ear. He can make out a ‘You saved me’ before she loses consciousness.
It’s dark and the village is still at blaze when Lithia regains consciousness. She groans as she tries to lift herself up and feels a bandage over her head. Agonizing pain runs through her and dizziness hits her harder the more she moves.
She flinches as Ronan gently puts his hands on her shoulders to help her up.
“Shit. What did just happen?” she asks.
“I take you have never taken hallucinogenic mushrooms in the past. These scavengers must have seen this village as an easy target. They most likely used the powdered mushrooms to cause the majority of the people to see things, to easily kill everyone and rape women. Unfortunately, Maria was one of them. I am sorry but she is dead. I took the liberty to bury her.”
Lithia stops breathing and stares at Ronan in disbelief. She wants to stand up but the pain throughout her body makes her shout.
“Take it easy. You have taken quite a beating. Try to heal.”
She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath and her wounds heal shortly after. She stands up and a sorrowful look falls upon Ronan as she wraps her arms around him, pressing him hard that his armour cracks slightly. Her sobbing is muffled on his shoulder as he holds her tight, comforting her.
She lays her forehead on his.
“Thank you for saving my life and taking care of Maria. Thank you so much.”
She gives him a quick kiss on the lips and continues crying on his shoulder. Slightly surprised by that kiss, he continues to comfort her.
She wipes her tears off her face and slowly steps away from him.
“For how long have I been out and how did you know they were hallucinogenic mushrooms?”
“A few hours. And I used to take those mushrooms when I was younger. So the feeling was very mutual. That’s why I knew what was real and what was not.”
Lithia holds her head and feels the bandage she is wearing. She quickly removes it and throws it on the ground.
“I’d like to see her grave.”
Ronan guides her to the outskirt of the village, near some trees. Freshly dug up dirt reveals to Lithia that Ronan was true to his word.
“I am sorry I didn’t take you with me on my journey.”
Ronan stands next to her.
“I have no idea how you bury your people, so I hope this is acceptable.”
“You did well. Thanks again.”
She reaches for his hand and holds it gently. As they stand in front of the grave, she puts her arm around his and leans her head on his shoulder.
After some time, she speaks again.
“We should continue our journey and gather the others.”
“Any more stops at places your friends are hiding in?”
Lithia shakes her head and mounts her horse.
“I want to ride normally. I need to think.”
Lithia, grieving, keeps her head down as Ronan rides next to her.
Chapter 10
The cracking of the nine-tailed whip and the screams echoed through the castle as Mary repeatedly slashed on Hana’s naked body. Her hands were hung on a chain from the ceiling.
Kali and Hitomi were standing behind Lithia and her friends. Their hands were tied behind their backs and were forced to watch how Hana was whipped. Some of Hana’s blood sprayed all over, making them flinch as it hit their faces. It was a small, windowless room with only a few types of whips hanging on the wall.
Kali gave the command to cease the whipping and released her. Her body plummeted onto the ground when the chains got loosened. The others whimpered at the sight as Hana groaned on the floor, barely moving.
“From all the stupid things I have seen in this castle, this was by far the dumbest. It will take weeks for the smoke to clear out of the castle. Not to mention the stench,” said Kali irritated.
Hana admitted it was her idea to put on the fire to clean out the room, and convinced the others to follow her. Kali did not care and ordered her fellow instructors to bring them all to the punishment chamber.
Kali ordered that it was Ada’s turn to be whipped. They grabbed her as she screamed in desperation to be spared. Her clothes were ripped and her arms forced over her head to be chained. She kept on screaming as the first crack of the whip hit her, and then over and over until the screams turned into weeping.
Next was Lithia. She let herself being dragged over and chained up without any resistance. The whip rained down on her. She shouted in pain every time it tore through her flesh. Kali came over with a whip as well.
“Here are few lashes from your mother for failing her task,” said Kali.
She hit Lithia’s stomach several times, blood descending down her legs. Finally, she retreated and Mary continued.
Lithia groaned as she tried to crawl forward on the red splattered floor. The blood accumulated in the corner, running down a drain.
Hana was almost healed, her smile faded as she attended Ada. Kali noticed it.
“Why aren’t you smiling anymore?”
Hana ignored her as she decided to grab Lithia and drag her next to Ada.
The next one was brought in to be whipped. Mary did not show any sign of exhaustion as she kept hitting with the same strength she had when she started.
Ada was nearly healed and she as well attended Lithia, who was still covered in blood and breathed weakly. Hana, in the meantime completely recovered, showed concern about Lithia.
“Come on. Heal. What are you waiting for?”
Lithia’s mouth moved but no sound could be heard. Hana pressed her ear to her mouth and listened. Her eyes widened.
“She doesn’t know how to heal herself,” she yelled out to Kali.
Kali ignored Hana as she pushed Ode to the corner. The girl tried again to get her attention.
“I don’t care!”
The others stared at Kali in disbelief.
“Aren’t you supposed to teach us everything we can do?” asked Hana, outraged.
Kali continued to ignore her and waved her hand for Mary to start.
Hana did not wait any longer and asked for help to save their friend. They hissed as their throats swelled up and released their slime onto Lithia. They sank on the floor as the slime started to heal. Lithia gasped loudly as she raised up but wimped since it did not heal all wounds. Asha was already fully healed as she held Lithia’s shoulders.
“You can do it Lithia. Try to heal yourself,” she demanded.
Lithia breathed heavily and tried to get healed, but failed. Asha gulped up her slime and, after a few moments, Lithia was finally healed. She thanked everyone, feeling ashamed of their incredulous expressions.
