"Commander. This is not our responsibility. Let them sort this out themselves." Agis pleaded with Lyonis, whose eyes were glued to the witch they had met the other day. Agis was ignored, and instead of responding to him, Lyonis called out over the crowd suddenly, "You heard her! We need to get moving!"
His eyes met Cordelia's, who had spotted him amongst the crowd. She looked pale and exhausted. Her shoulders slumped, and her chest was heaving. A stout woman wrapped an arm around Cordelia's waist, supporting her with her body.
As he walked towards the crowd, he watched Cordelia collapse in front of the giant dead beast, her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and the blood drained from her face. Something was terribly wrong. He didn't know what was happening, but Lyonis felt indebted to her and if he could offer his help. He would.
"If we help these people, we will be in their good graces, Agis. This benefits us." Lyonis pulled the coat from his shoulders and handed it to Andronika, who stood behind him. "Andronika, please return to the Chimera. Grab two more to come help."
She nodded and stepped away, "I'm coming with you. You better not leave without me, Commander. I want to see this play out."
Agis was not convinced, "You are risking your and your crew's life for some woman you just met! Do not lie to me and say you are doing this for our benefit. Nothing good will come getting wrapped up in the dealings of a witch."
Lyonis glared at Agis, who flinched. "I apologize, Commander. I know she helped you, and you feel indebted to her. But what can we do? We don't know what we're getting involved in."
"Then leave, Agis. I will do what I feel is right." Lyonis turned away from him and ran over to the rivermen who were busily tying rope around the great beast. The other strongly built man, currently with them, crossed his arms over his chest and was watching the whole thing play out. The man who even towered over Lyonis looked down at Agis with dissatisfaction before striding after his Commander.
Agis groaned and hurried after them.
…
Cordelia sat at the front of the leading boat. She rubbed her wrists absentmindedly, staring out over the inky black water as if in a trance. Pairs of yellow, green, and red eyes blinked from the canal's edges. Tall trees climbed at weird angles out of the water, their limbs heavy with curtains of moss and vines. The sounds of animals rustling in the trees, night birds calling in the distance, the rumblings of thunder, and the splashes of oars on the water were the only things that could be heard.
She felt herself being pulled by an invisible force deeper into the swamp. The hair on her skin raised, and she felt waves of goosebumps rise over her body. Her insides felt as tumultuous as the weather that was growing worse around them. The familiar electrifying feeling that flowed through her blood felt unbearably intense, as if she carried the growing storm around her in her own body. Bile threatened to rise in her throat. Her head pounded. But she remained unmoving, sitting at the boat's bow, still as stone.
The wind had picked up, and lightning and thunder crashed overhead, filling the sky with flashes of white light. The rain had started to fall - gradually getting heavier until it was a thick blanket. Cordelia seemed unaffected by the treacherous conditions. She sighed deeply, closing her eyes, and suddenly, the raindrops cascaded away from her before they could touch her skin and clothes as if she were shrouded in an invisible cloak.
"Madame!" A voice yelled out to her over the sound of deafening rain and thunder. Cordelia was pulled from her trance and turned around to look at the men in the boats around her. They were frantically dumping buckets of rainwater out of their boats, "We can't go any further! The boats will sink at this rate!" He was right. They couldn't continue like this. Cordelia sighed and stood, placing a hand on the man's shoulder. His face filled with concern and worry.
They couldn't leave the gator here. They weren't far enough yet. Cordelia felt a tugging deep within her - it demanded she continue. She nodded at the riverman before waving a hand across her vision over the multitude of boats surrounding the large creature floating in the water —the rain collecting in the boats dried up in a flash, and the rain that fell above them cascaded away from the boats.
"I'll take her from here." Cordelia ignored the onslaught of protest from the four men in the boat. She held a hand up to silence them before walking toward the boat's stern. "Head back. I will return once this is finished. Do not follow me." With that, she stepped off into the water towards the unmoving floating mass. The men reached out to grab her, but their hands met nothing but air.
Her heeled boots touched the murky water but did not slip beneath it. Step by step, she walked gracefully across the water, the rain hammering the surface. She stepped up to the still creature and waved a hand over the giant inky black body.
The ropes that bound its body and limbs unraveled. Cordelia turned on her heels, and with the gator floating in the water behind her, she walked into the darkness.
…
Lyonis watched in amazement. In a single motion, she had removed the pooling rainwater in each small boat with a wave of her hand. She appeared to be glowing as she walked towards the back of the boat she was on - raindrops bounced off an invisible force surrounding her, keeping her completely dry. She looked like a goddess.
Without warning, Cordelia stepped right off the back of the boat. The men in the boat she was with reached for her, but their arms went right through her as if she were made of air. Lyonis instinctively reached out for her, too, ready to dive into the murky water. But instead of falling beneath the water, her boot heel gently floated above its surface, and she walked gracefully out into the center of the boats that surrounded the dead creature.
She waved a hand over the floating black mass, and the rope unraveled all on its own. She turned on her heels and as if pulled by an invisible force, walked out into the swamp with the gator following behind her.
Not knowing what happened, the men from the lead boat called out to one another. "Madame is taking it the rest of the way. She instructed us to return to town!"
"How will she get back?!" Another voice called out, yelling over the growing storm overhead.
"She didn't say! But what can we do but trust her?! It's too dangerous for us to be out here right now! We need to get out of this storm!"
Lyonis turned to look down the dark river. Cordelia and the giant beast had disappeared in a blink of an eye.
"Commander, what should we do?" Andronika's voice reached his ears over the storm. He looked around, and the men in the other boats were deliberating amongst themselves. It appeared as if they were planning on heading back to town.
"We will follow their lead." Lyonis did not like the thought of leaving Cordelia alone in a massive swamp, but he was in no position to argue with them. It was dark, and the storm was raging above them. He did not know his way around the wetlands, and if he were to get lost, there would be no way of knowing how to get back.
...
The invisible force pulled Cordelia deeper into the swamp. The vegetation grew dense and thick around her and the reptile. The towering branches and mossy curtains seemed to warp and shift out of their way, creating a clear path on the water. The wind and rain had quieted slightly, dampened by the dense canopy. She could still hear the storming raging above the dense branches over her.
Raccoons and squirrels scurried up trees, snakes and baby crocodiles swam under cover, owls hooted, and tree branches swayed above her. She had no idea where she was being led, but the further she was pulled, the harder it was for her to control her legs. They moved with purpose and knowing beneath her. Her mind went blank as if in a trace. Time moved excruciatingly slow. The further she walked, the denser the swamp became.
As if inviting her deeper, a path opened up at her feet. Her feet carried her on the water for what felt like hours. Suddenly, the dense marshland opened up into a calm clearing. The body of water was calm and dark. Aquatic plants, large green lily pads, and bumpy tree roots grew out from under the murky depths. A massive tree stood at its center, arching dense branches high overhead, blocking the sky almost entirely. There were no noises, no movements. Cordelia couldn't even hear crickets chirping or frogs croaking.
The force she had felt dissipated inside her, melting away into nothing. This is where she was being led. She carefully urged the large aquatic creature from behind her into the open water and towards the base of the large tree.
Cordelia watched as the front of the gator's face, its nostrils, and the top line of its scaled body peeked out just above the surface. The large black mass came to a gentle stop in the calm water. Gentle ripples waked from its body. She paused for a moment enjoying the peaceful stillness.
"Please accept my heartfelt apology for disturbing your rest. Be at peace. Offerings will be made in your honor." She bowed deeply. The sickening feeling she had felt up to that point had dissipated to a gentle warmth throughout her body. Cordelia let out the deep breath she had been holding for a long time. Feeling peace return to her, she bowed again before leaving the clearing. She stopped in her tracks as the sound of a voice echoed through the clearing.
"Who are you?" A gentle feminine voice called out to her, thick with an unrecognizable accent.
Cordelia stopped and turned around slowly. The disembodied voice echoed slightly around her. She stood straight and faced the clearing in respect, taking a moment to decide whether or not she should answer.
The witch had faced living and undead monsters before, but she felt no ill will towards her coming from the voice—just curiosity. Lady Ambrose's warning rang in her ears. The spirit would offer her answers to questions that shouldn't be asked. She needed to be wary.
"My name is Cordelia VonElise."
"Hmm….. Cordelia…" The voice whispered around her. "What… are you?"
"I am a witch." Cordelia stood still, answering plainly and respectfully. A chilly wind swirled around her, causing her hair to flutter and dress to sway. She remained unmoved.
"Hmm… I have met many witches before, in many lifetimes… I sense… something else in you."
A silver fog had formed around Cordelia's feet. It swirled and climbed around her as if curiously tasting Cordelia's body. The mist floated back away from her, hovering over the dead alligator's body. Slowly a transparent female form manifested in front of her. Her naked exotic form displayed generous curves unapologetically as she lay along the length of the floating alligator. Her large eyes, lips, and broad nose were barely distinguishable in the fog. The ghostly form illuminated in the moonlight that peeked through tiny openings in the canopy above. The silver glow almost blinding against the dark surroundings.
"I am afraid I do not know what you mean…." Cordelia honestly had no clue as to what the spector was talking about. She was a witch. Just a simple witch.
The woman cocked her head to the side and stared at her for a long while.
"Curious…" She stared at her further before finally floating closer to her. Her transparent body floated over the water, not causing a single ripple in the water below her.
She stood four heads taller than Cordelia and, as she neared, held a hand out to gently touch Cordelia's face. Cordelia resisted the urge to turn away. The transparent hand sent a chill down her spine. It filled her with an uncomfortable ache she felt deep in her bones. She suddenly felt drained and exhausted.
"Hmmm… I see… I must thank you for returning my daughter to me." She waved her arm over the alligator. "I offer this warning as payment…."
The spirit brought her face directly in front of Cordelia's - a coolness touched her skin, causing goosebumps to wave over her. The ghostly form whispered, her voice echoing around Cordelia, bounding off the surrounding trees.
"Your spirit is running from something, Witch Cordelia. Do not allow it to catch you…."
"What's trying to catch me?" The words threatened to leave her lips involuntarily, but she swallowed them as a mischievous smile grew over the ghostly woman's face.
"Aren't you curious? I could tell you... I could offer you answers to anything your heart desires. Like that man? Aren't you curious as to what he is?"
Goosebumps cascaded over Cordelia's body. She felt the blood drain from her face and panic twist in her gut. Everything in her body was telling her to leave. Of course, Cordelia was curious, but Lady Ambrose had warned her about this. She trusted the old woman, and she trusted what her body was telling her. Cordelia shook her head politely.
"I appreciate the offer, Goddess. But I must respectfully refuse." Cordelia bowed deeply, averting her gaze from the glowing ghost-like figure.
The fog slowly began dissipating, and the woman's smiling face dissolved before her, "Very well… Keep running, young witch…."
And then, there was nothing. The giant dead reptile was gone. The fog and woman were gone. Crickets chirped, frogs croaked, and twigs snapped in the distance. Cordelia took a deep breath and turned to leave. Despite her mind now swimming with questions, all Cordelia could think about was crawling into bed and collapsing.
Exhaustion grew heavier with each step she took.