The cold water was burning my skin. The shock tautened my muscles, and I fought through it with everything I had. The attacker's push left me with no air. And I was scared out of my mind. I refused to die. Not in this foul slop!
The river current was ferocious. Still surface disguised an overpowering bottom stream that quickly dragged me to the river floor. I struggled to swim out, the water beating me against the rocks. My chest started to burn. But it was barely noticeable behind a thousand needles of cold boring into my flesh.
As the river ran into a wider part, the first shock finally passed and I floated to the surface. The smokey cloud of my breath floated above my face. I could see the light of the moon, so close, but so far away at the same time. Still, silence filled my ears with cotton, muffling the world around. Cold made my head feel like my skull shrinked and tried to push my brain out through all the available holes.
I was floating under the weight of the cold water, too wiped out to move.
My kids' feces stood in front of my eyes. The thought of leaving my children in danger was making me feel like the world was closing in on me. If I leave them alone, something dark will happen. I was sure of that.
I called to my force, as grandma showed me, and bent the will of an uncooperative rill to push me out to the shore. Everything inside was burning with the intensity of the process. I have never had to use this much magic before.
Only now I noticed that while I was fighting for my life, the magic dissolved in the water changed something inside. My force felt weird. Stronger, but somehow distant. Separated.
My feet hit the ground, and I waddled out. Only to all back on the snow-covered ground. My first breath on the shore was painful. It took me a while to stop coughing. I pushed more force into the warming runes on my undershirt. It would have taken hours to dry myself up this way, but I used up way too much of my magic.
The chill was seeping into my bones. My teeth started chattering and my body trembled. The wet fabric clung to my skin, and I could feel the icy air stings through it.
With a deep exhale that made my lungs burn, I planted my trembling hands on the sides, pushing my body up. Rolling over to my stomach, I pulled my knees to my chest and stood up. Wet skirt trapped my legs, and I stumbled before regaining the unsteady balance.
I looked around, trying to identify where the current brought me and how to get back to the village. and started walking in what seemed like the right direction.
Every step was filled with pain. I could feel the blood rushing to my skin. Open areas of my flesh crawling with stings, my heart pounding in my chest.
My mind drowsed off. The silence around was deafening. I was observing my body, shoving my legs through the snow. But I no longer felt my feet, nor my arms. I was existing, floating through the icy air. As if it all was just a dream.
In what felt like ages, I was back on the track that brought me to the arch in the first place.
The same beaver was already waiting for me in the same spot. Was he always here? I focused my blurry vision on a familiar form. When I picked out his crimson red eyes shining in the dark, I took a step back.
"Stupid, stupid which. Coming back to your death?"
I rubbed my face with uncooperative hands. The ice rind locked my jaw, so I had to mutter, hoping that the creature would understand.
"I have no energy for your riddles. Just let me be... I'm going back for my children."
"That is how he catches all of you…"
Emptiness settled in my stomach. All?
"How many witches were there before me?"
"Too-o-o many to count."
"And how long have you been here?"
"Now, who is spewing riddles?" He looked into the forest. "Ever since the core changed, I keep forgetting things. It's bad now, you know? The roots are rotting."
I shivered again, and the beaver looked me up and down.
"Here, warm up." With the wave of his tail, a balmy warmth surrounded me. "You might be the last… Each one of you might turn out to be the last straw."
"The last straw before what?"
"If you come back, you will see for yourself." His face changed, gaining sharper features, red beads gleaming brighter. "Who am I to change your track, right?"
"You don't understand. I can't just leave! My children are there."
"A-all the same every time! You go or you don't, none of my concern. I left an amulet near the base of that tree. That's it. There is nothing else I can do for all of you."
With that, he left.
Near the tree he pointed at, I picked up an oak leaf. It was radiating power and looked out of place on the pristine white snow. I held the leaf in my open palm, studying it under the moonlight. And in a blink of an eye, it dissolved. I brought my hand closer to my eyes. There was a light trace of a shape with 7 lobes and a slender stalk, like a scar. I traced the shape with the fingers of my other hand. The power was still emanating from it, but it didn't bother me. The shape slowly faded away under my fingers.
I shook my head. I wasted too much time on this weird encounter. The way back from here was familiar and walking in dry, warm clothes made a huge difference to my speed.
The arch was getting closer and closer, signs of the Congregation shining like stars in the dark. The sight of it made my heart race, like I was chased by an angry crowd through the forest again. My palm started itching, but I refused to be distracted.
I was afraid that the arch may not let me pass. So I began to walk faster and faster in an attempt to outrun the fear. My worries subside for a moment as I step through the film. The arch let me through and the magic felt almost warm, welcoming. But one look at the village in the far caused my pulse to speed up again.
When I reached the settlement, the cheering of the crowd and loud Pastor Dion's voice led me straight to the main plaza. I froze, stunt, unable to speak, staring at the wooden stage.
My son was standing there, surrounded by all too familiar faces: Enoch, his sister Evi, and pastor Dion. The crowd, all men, was watching him from below. All gazes focused on the stage. Not a single face was displaying the horror that overflowed my mind.
Enoch moved, giving his sister a knife. My stillness shuttered. I threw my entire body into the crowd. Towards the stage.
Hands grabbed me across my torso. So many hands.
Let me go! Mindless golems!
But steel claws kept my body firmly in place.
"As you see, people outside are weak, raff, lacking crucial guidance and strength…" The muffled sound of Pastor's voice reached me as if I was still under the water. "We need to strengthen our borders. And this cursed blood will serve a great purpose."
The orange light of the torch hit the blade. Evi put the blade to my son's throat. My body grew numb as flaming shards of remaining power teared through my veins towards my gut. I would sell my soul to a demon right now. Just to get him away from those people.
Atti's eyes were big, pupils dilated. I saw the tiny beads of sweat gathering on his upper lip. Magic was burning against my skin, making my senses sharper. Useless crumbs.
The skin on my throat throbbed at the sight of parting flesh. I couldn't breathe.
His blood looked black. And it surged out of the wound in a stream of despair.
The light left his eyes when the useless might finally filled my chest. And it hurt so much that my heart skipped a beat.
Without even trying to put it in any kind of spell, I threw it all towards the stage: the pastor, woman and damned crowd.
Die. All of you.
The energy crackled, sucking the air out. Bright blue flames charged towards the stage. Slow, so slow. My body buzzed with numbness, my hand a hundred pounds, each slumped down to my sides. I gave it all I had, and then some. Not just raw power, but a piece of me.
Bunch of men surrounded the pastor. They drew their swords and raised them towards the sky. And painfully bright light bursted out of the metal, swallowing all things around.
My clothes were smoldering. The bricks grew hot.
When I was able to see again, the blackness misted the back of my head. Some men buckled to their knees, chest heaving, trembling hands struggling to hold heavy swords up. But the pastor and this serpent, Evi, were intact. Dion was smiling. Hungry, cunning grin made me take a step back.
The world slowly gained back the sound and colors. People around me were screaming. The ground in front of them burned out. Just like the buildings on either side of us.
My knees buckled and I collapsed to the ground. Empty. This was the end.