The nearby town of Hazelgulch was the closest populated area that Narni knew of, if she was going to find out more in regards to this 'academy' that was where she needed to go, well this was at least what the worms had told her.
Wandering into the town during the morning Narni found herself getting quite a few stares and wandering eyes. Her clothes were dark and dreadful in comparison to the villagers whose clothes of tattered silks and cloths matched that of the wilting flowers around.
"Are you okay little girl?" A motherly woman came up to her and bent down on her already scuffed knees.
"I am okay," Narni replied continuing forward through the shady town. The main building in the town had wanted posters upon its side, a dreadfully strange-looking raggedy hag made her giggle as she read the description read, "Wanted the Hag of Amaranth your weight in gold plus hers"
Narni looked down at her quite small self and wondered how much gold that would actually be. "Please dear, let me take a look at you." The motherly woman had returned her hand now touching Narni's arm and pulling her in a direction. "Okay" she replied allowing her to take her within her house.
"Whats your name?" The kind lady asked fetching a warm cloth from an awaiting pot of water. "Narni but most people." The worms whispered in her ears that it might not be a good idea to finish the sentence.
"Narni? what a pretty name, my name is Yuri." The middle aged woman smiled kindly as she tied her messy red hair into a tight pun before retrieving the cloth.
"You have pretty eyes," Narni reached out with her fingers wishing to remove them and put them in her pouch, but Yuri giggled and gently pushed away her finger.
"Where are you parents?" Her hands wiping the muck away from Narni's face with a warm dab.
"They are back home, but Ma and Pa don't say much these days." Narni smiled remembering the peaceful warmth of her family as the horde would gather around her at night and sleep.
"They are going to be awfully worried about you, aren't they?" Yuri's question seemed to extend itself as did her grip in Narni's arm.
"Did you lose someone?" Her words caused the young woman to knock the bowl of water down from the table as she stumbled back.
"What?" she replied blushing shyly as she picked up the mess.
"Was it your son?" Narni asked kindly as the spectral image of a young boy appeared beside him mother attempting to help her clean.
"You're her, aren't you, the witch?" The question came for once without pitchforks and fire, but with hope and desperation.
"I do not want to kill her..." Narni responding to the commands of the worms. "She will not tell anyone, I am sure of it."
"I won't, but I wanted to know something, please I'll give you anything, anything at all if you answer my question." Yuri was now begging at Narni's feet, her head resting on her knees as tears flowed from her face.
"You want to know if he suffered?" She could tell by the way the ghost cared for his mother, never moving onward to the next life as a result.
"Did he?" her hands gripped at Narni's dress tightly.
Narni looked to the boy who seemed almost in perfect health, aside from him being dead there was no sign of mistreatment or even sickness only that he would cough every now and again. "He drowned, but he didn't suffer."
Yuri's face almost exploded in relief at hearing the words her tight grip loosened as she stood to her feet wiping the tears from her eyes. "Please, if there is anything i can do, let me know."
After thinking long and hard, Narni crushed and ate an annoying worm that slithered too close to her tongue. "What is the academy of Fiedal, and how can i get there?" her question seemed to spark a sudden interest from within her tearful state.
"Thats where most of the children attend school, and it's the magical capital of the continent, what would you want with that?" Her motherly nature returned as she immediately began to worry for the young witch.
Narni removed the severed head from her rough leather satchel, and despite her otherwise fractured state, Yuri seemed to care very little. "He was sent to kill me."
"I thought a lot of people have tried to kill you?" Yuri asked poking the head with a fire stoker.
"None that my family couldn't deal with, but he was different he had magic." Narni stroked the severed head whispering into its ear, she had hoped maybe away from Amaranth she could awaken the man, but she had no such luck. "Oh" Narni said softly full of anger and disappointment.
"I am sorry, I don't have anything for you...but Narni, maybe you should stay here till nightfall?" Yuri asked with an eager smile hoping Narni was answering her with a yes. "Alright, I am tired the sun makes me quite sleepy."
Narni spent the rest of the day and some of the night with Yuri, she cooked her dinner and even read her a story before she took a nap. "Narni?" Yuri awoke her with a gentle nudge as she sat down beside her in the bed, her hand gently rubbing her hair. "Yes?"
"Can you kill me? make me a part of your family and allow me to be with my son?" Yuri asked plainly, her eyes were all but hollow now having already accepted her death, but there was something else.
Narni could smell the blood already leaking from the woman's arm, having injured herself gravely before sitting beside her. She had brought with her one of the brain worms, but it would cause Yuri a lot of pain if she didn't drink her broth,
"Okay," moving Yuri so that she was now laying down on the bed, Narni removed the brain worm from her arm, the fresh egg sack having only been laid that morning it was still a grub, but it would suffice.
Yuri was almost unconscious by the time the worm slithered into her nostrils, her arm reached out for hers but it was different this time, she wasn't trying to attack her she only wanted her comfort. Narni sat by her side holding her hand as the worm borrowed in deeply removing the unnecessary parts of the brain and detaching the soul.
As the undead Yuri rose up, her flesh was still warm for a moment, warm enough for Narni to snuggle in deep into her embrace.