I opened my eyes and felt cold and damp immediately. I saw blue stains punching through columns of black smoke. There was only silence around. Every now and then you could hear some soft sizzling or cracking ashes. Black ash hung in the still air. It was falling slowly like black snow. Like some spell.
As I moved, clouds of this black snow poured off me, and I noticed that I was lying in a stream. I frowned as I looked back, then felt a strange flash of magic on my forehead. Surprised, I touched it, but didn't sense anything interesting, so I looked at the reflection in the water.
My face is charred, my eyes are red from crying, and my lips are dry to a chip. Damn you, Tinevia. She made sure to the very end that the fire couldn't even touch me. I smiled sadly as I felt the rush of tears.
"But to give a fairies blessing?" I whispered sadly, but with that smile saying it was very much her style. Always committed to beliefs once she finds them.
Only the most powerful fairy in a given territory, who has all the rest of the fairies under her, can give a fairy blessing. There are different types of blessings from faires. Most often, these are half-blessings allowing, for example, to enter their territory or borrow magic from them. What I got was a complete blessing. All the strength of Tinevia and the fairies who were under her command fell on me. It's a kind of legacy. No fairy has ever given such a blessing. Usually all their power was transferred to their successors... Tinevia, what have you done...
There was a small tear mark on my forehead. It looked like someone had glued a shiny crystal filled with magic to my forehead. These things happen too. This one, however, was pure energy straight from all fairies in the forest. What's left of them... My hair was half covering it anyway.
I stood up with a splash and squeezed the water out of my hair as I looked around. Everything was covered with ash. It turned gray and black and unpleasantly quiet. I didn't see anyone around. Everything was black and black snow kept falling from the sky.
Tinevia carried me to the edge of the forest. But I wanted to be sure. If the worst-case scenario has been met, it's my duty to remember this sight and live with it. As a resident of the forest and a survivor. And maybe... maybe someone else was there waiting for rescue.
That's why I puffed up my chest, wiped my eyes, and resolutely walked ahead, burning this sight into my mind. What happened to my home. Part of me still refused to believe that just a few hours ago I was walking this way among the greenery and the singing of birds. These ashed roots opened the way for me before, and the wind wanted to talk to me. Now everything was dead and there was only silence around.
Passing the already burnt-out forest, I reached the square in front of the school where the hostages were. My lips trembled, my legs began to tremble, and tears began to fall out of my eyes immediately. I couldn't stop them. Today I can still despair, I need this to keep going.
Suddenly, I fell to my knees, tearing them to blood which mixed with the one in the square. A group of people lying motionless in a pool of their own blood. Bound women, children and magical creatures butchered like animals stared I don't know where and I don't know at what with empty eyes. Some with burns, some with cuts in the skin, some without an eye, some without fingers, and some without nails. They tortured them before they died. How could they be so cruel ?! How could they do that ?!
I felt an enormous rush of bitterness and helplessness, so I leaned forward as if I bowed down to them touching my head on the ground and pounding the stones with my fists. I couldn't help them. If only I was stronger, I could save them. If I could summon a goddamn rod like any powerful witch, it wouldn't be a problem! And what was I thinking then?! That someone else would help them! I walked past them thinking that if I wasn't helping them, someone else would do it!
I bit my lips bloody to silence my sobbing, but my blood only mixed with tears and sniffling anyway. Finally, I clenched my fists and looked up. I looked intensely at that pile of forest inhabitants, then stood up. I approached them with a sad look. I opened my mouth to speak, but immediately trembled uncontrollably. I had to close them until they calmed down to a sufficient level.
During this time I found some protruding and half ashed root, which I began to draw a pentagram with around the dead bodies using their blood. Both my legs, hands and mouth were shaking, and I had to walk between them as well to get the pentagram right. I fought the tremendous urge to close my eyes as I walked past their open mouth as if in a silent scream.
After that, I dropped the stick limply and faced the whole pile again. Spells mustn't be interrupted or repeated. If it doesn't work out the first time, we'll be punished and we'll have to start over.
"Diei. Qui nati sunt tibi in potestate et virtute cum abiissent. Noctem." I repeated the spell in a slightly hoarse voice and the bodies began to sparkle and glow shyly. I won't leave the bodies here to rot without being buried by anyone. I stood by them watching the fire with glazed eyes until the evening, then I carefully collected all the ashes and duly buried them, putting them in the ground and making the best tombstone I could. Mrs. Susan went there as well, and so did Aggeo.
It was the day I lost everyone. All my family, my home and my friends. Everyone I knew and loved. Those who taught me everything and took care of me. That day, when I looked back, I had the impression that everyone was standing on the edge of the forest saying goodbye to me. When some people are waving at me eagerly, others shyly. Like Aggeo wagging his tail at me and Mrs. Susan wagging her hat. How Tinevia looks at me with concern, and my class with a slight regret, but even they wave at me, wishing me a good trip, even Mari.
Clenching my quivering lips with all my might, I wiped away my last tears and set off. Just me and my magic book. And a thirst for revenge.
***
"Summer is coming and it's getting hot. Wish I had a hat, don't you think so, Aggeo?" I was talking to myself as I walked along a sandy road surrounded by fields stretching to the horizon. I turned, expecting an answer, then started in surprise. I looked ahead again, a bit depressed.
I still haven't met anyone and the sun was shining in the sky brightly. I looked at it with narrowed eyes.
"I'm gonna really melt in a moment." I said tired, then found a lonely tree by the road, under which I hid in the shade, and breathed a sigh of relief. It was a bit cooler here.
I started swinging my hand and looked at both sides of the road. The side I came from and the side I was headed. Both sides showed boundless meadows uninhabited by anyone and stretching really far away. The area here was quite flat and consisted of only meadows. Sometimes there were single trees, but apart from that, I didn't see any villages, other roads or even magical creatures. I used to fly out of the forest on a broomstick and follow a strictly defined air path away from people's eyes, so I never knew there was any road at all. But I never thought that nobody really lived here! What was the point of flying so high on a broomstick then? Give me back all the nights I flew in the rain!
I sighed tired and sat under the tree taking off my backpack. My map was half soaked and completely blurry from lying in a stream. If I were a First Circle Witch then I wouldn't have to draw pentagrams to cast spells and I could certainly fix it. Now, however, I could only throw spells by drawing pentagrams, and drawing on such a wet piece of paper, it will surely fall apart. So, I had no idea where I was or which place was closest.
Mrs. Susan told me to go to Lakalto, but the city wasn't on the map. I'm not sure why. Maybe the map was very old or it was a human map and they don't have magic cities on them. The only place I could go right now was Nubes. A small town, where I used to fly for new potions, potion ingredients, more paper, ink and other shopping things. However, I had the problem that I only knew the air route and my broom burned down. I didn't know how to get there on ground, and I can't ask around. If humans hear that a strange girl asks about a strange place, I don't know if I will be safe.
Oh! Then I have to ask magical creatures! It's that simple! I was about to get up and go in search of magical creatures when I remembered how hot it was now. I looked up at the sun again, a bit annoyed.
"Weathermen and Weathergirls really aren't sparing themselves lately. Could they be having an argument again, that's why it's so hot? It's good that, at least on the air paths, I don't meet them, otherwise they would certainly throw me off the broom. I wonder about what they had a fight this time..." I was talking to myself, looking at the sky as if I could see them with the naked eye, but soon the sun started to hurt my eyes too much. I looked down at my clothes and sighed. Well, witches who have not yet reached the First Circle wear black. Now it's me who will boil because of this color!
It will be wise to wait until it has cooled down a bit and then move on. Maybe it would be even better to go at night? After a while, I shook my head. The forest at night was safe, but behind it lives full of wild creatures that are hostile to humans and us.
As I was about to take out my Book of Spells, I heard a loud crack from very far away. I looked where I came from and saw a black sky. As if a storm had suddenly broken out there, or had just begun. I saw flashes in the clouds and it's even raining heavily. I narrowed my eyes and rose from the nice grass.
That's why it was so hot and stuffy. These weather creatures must have had a real fight! At first it's so hot that I wanted to rip off that knee-length dress, and now a storm is coming towards me. I shook my head. No more whining! I'd better find a place to wait out the storm. When the Weathermen and the Weathergirls argue, the weather phenomena are not a joke.
"AAAAAAGH! HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME! THEY'LL KILL ME!" I heard some panicked screams from the storm side, so I turned in surprise. I narrowed my eyes, but saw nothing except that the storm had gotten even bigger and more restless. Finally, a strong wind began to move, blowing the warm air, and the first drops of rain began to fall on my skin.
"Ouch!" I squealed in surprise as my skin burned. As I looked at my hand, I noticed that my skin was starting to foam and turn red. I felt a strange smell, but more and more drops were falling on me and I felt my skin starting to burn hard.
After a while, I widened my eyes at the storm.
"No way! Is it acid rain?!" I exclaimed frightened, then turned my back on the storm and ran as fast as I could, desperately looking for some hiding place. Rabbit hole, tree bark, a pile of earth, everything is good only to get away!
Acid rain occurs when the ones above are very pissed. Rain contains acid that eats away the skin. Nothing much will happen to you if you take a few drops, but if you stand in it for even a minute, your skin will come off you at the speed of light! The drops quickly merge with each other, making the skin burn more and they eat deeper and deeper into the tissues, wounding them very much. It's one of the natural disasters like drought or flood, but it happens rarely!
"Why is this happening to me?!" I exclaimed in frustration to see that there were only meadows and nowhere to hide. I have to start thinking! I quickly took my Book of Spells out of my backpack and started leafing through it, but I realized that even my book was wet and completely sucked! The spells in it weren't soaked with my magic yet, so they were plain ink. Now it won't do any good!
"What can I say?! It's not my fault!" Suddenly I heard a voice beside me even more frustrated than mine. When I looked to the side I saw a boy who looked like...
"Burnt chicken?!"