by Mona Hanna
“Oh, Ariel. I’m so sorry this is happening to you,” he said. She looked at him.
“It’s happening to you, too,” she said softly, voicing the fact that they’d only just met, and were now entwined together. He kissed her on the forehead.
“It’s alright...let’s just get changed.”
They stood there awkwardly for a moment, then Brayden smiled. “I’ll turn around. Take your time.”
He turned and covered his eyes. He heard Ariel getting undressed, and resisted the urge to look at her. After a while she tapped him on the shoulder.
“Your turn,” she said softly. She was dressed in a long nightgown. Brayden went to one of the satchels and got some clothes to sleep in. He glanced at Ariel, and she had her hands over her eyes. He thought it was very sweet.
He got changed, then went up and kissed her once more. She looked at him shyly, then looked down.
“Ariel, we don’t have to do anything,” he said softly. “I don’t want you to feel you have to, just because we’re staying together. Don’t feel pressured, just because we already have.”
She nodded, still looking down. Brayden took her hand and led her to the bed, which was next to the window. He moved aside the blanket, and she climbed in first. He lay down next to her, putting his arms around her.
“Goodnight, my love,” he whispered, holding her closely. She rested her head against his chest, snuggling against him. They were warm together under the blanket. Brayden knew he would drift off to sleep soon. He felt Ariel’s breathing slow down, and felt incredibly comforted by being so close to her. He’d been wanting to lie down with her all day. He closed his eyes, and slipped away.
***
Brayden awoke to sunlight streaming through the flimsy curtains of their room. He blinked a few times, wondering what time it was. Ariel was fast asleep, still lying up close to him. He shook her shoulder a little.
“Wake up,” he said, his voice coming out croakier than he’d meant. She made some muffled sounds in protest, then looked up at him.
“I’m still tired,” she murmured, putting her head back down. He smiled.
“Me too. But we can’t stay here all day.”
They lay in silence for a while. “What do we do next?” Ariel asked. “Do we just keep traveling? I have to practice using my magic. I don’t want to be useless if they find us.”
Brayden held her more closely. “Don’t think about them finding us, Ariel. Don’t think about it. But you’re right — you should practice using your magic. I want you to have complete control of your powers. I have an idea of what magic you could do first.”
She raised her head again. “What?”
He looked at her fondly. “I’m surprised you wear spectacles. Especially given that you could fix your eyesight so easily.”
She frowned at him. “I can use my magic on myself?”
“Of course! You really just have to decide to be able to see. Just concentrate on making your vision clearer. But don’t hold back, Ariel. You have to use your full strength.”
She sat up and stared at him for a moment. She took a deep breath, then shut her eyes. She sat there for a long while. Brayden watched her closely.
“Don’t hold back,” he repeated softly.
Ariel opened her eyes and looked at him. She looked at him closely, as if she was drawing her power from him. Brayden became very nervous. He couldn’t breathe. She kept looking at him, but he realized she wasn’t seeing him. She was so still she seemed frozen. He held his breath again.
Suddenly she threw her head back, and the brightest light he’d ever seen shone from her eyes, huge, stunning. He looked away, blinded. He felt heat radiating from her. Eventually the light faded, and Brayden was able to look at her again. Her face was flushed, her cheeks pink. But her eyes — her eyes were an even brighter blue, even more vivid than before. She looked around the room. He sat up so he was next to her.
“Well?” he asked. She smiled at him.
“I can see everything,” she said. “For the first time, everything’s clear. Oh, Brayden.”
Ariel threw her arms around his neck, and he laughed, holding her. He loved the feeling of her softness against him. His heart began to beat a little faster, and he desperately wanted to kiss her. As if she knew what he was thinking, she kissed his neck.
“Brayden,” she murmured, kissing his neck again. He felt a quiver run through him. He moved her slightly, so her mouth was close to his. He kissed her, holding her tight. She clutched his shirt, kissing him back passionately, her breath coming out in gasps. He moved his mouth against hers, pressing her body to him. He moved her so they were lying down on the bed. His hands traveled down her body.
“Ariel,” he gasped, kissing her neck, his mouth moving over her throat. She cried out in pleasure, and he began to undress her. They started making love, Brayden kissing her as he moved inside of her. It was the most intense experience of his life. She kept moaning, clinging to him, moving with him. He couldn’t believe how amazing it felt. It had never felt like this with anyone else. He’d never felt so connected with anyone before.
They lay next to each other when it was over, looking into each other’s eyes. He didn’t want to leave the room. He just wanted to lie with her all day. She smiled at him.
“You’re amazing,” she said. He looked at her in wonder.
“So are you,” he whispered. “So are you.”
She kissed him gently. He drew her to him, holding her. He felt so much love for her in that moment. He didn’t want to leave her side. They just had to keep away from Julius.
***
“What do you see?” Julius asked. Nadia sat with her eyes shut, concentrating. She looked at him, her dark eyes cold.
“I see them at an inn in a week’s time. I can see the sign over the door. It’ll be no trouble to find them. We can catch them easily.”
Julius nodded. He went and looked out of the window, thinking, his hands clasped behind his back. Nadia came and stood behind him.
“She’ll be easy to kill,” she said, putting her hands on his back. Julius suppressed a shudder. He didn’t want her withered hands touching him. He’d grown tired of her so long ago, could barely remember the last time he wanted her. He remained still.
“Leave me now, Nadia,” he said. “I have to plan.”
She obediently left the room, shutting the door behind her. Julius continued staring out of the window. He wondered over the things that had happened recently. Despite his disgust at his fifty year old wife, she had been very useful. Once he’d told her about Ariel, she’d had a vision of her going to the inn, and meeting Brayden. Nadia had embedded the dreams in Brayden’s mind, ensuring the two would fall in love. Then he’d just had to give Ariel a reason to leave, with the false marriage proposal.
A small smile touched Julius’ lips. Now that Ariel was in love — now that she had something to lose — turning her would be so much more satisfying. The bond was always stronger, the witch’s addiction to him deeper, darker, if she killed the one she loved. He wanted that bond with Ariel. He craved her so much he could barely stand it.
He thought about her, this new witch. She was beautiful, she was powerful, she was young. He was desperate to mold her, transform her from the shy, quiet thing that she was, into the strong witch she could be. She was perfect. She was a storm of power, waiting to be unleashed. She was ready for him to take her, ready to be changed.
He found it a disturbing coincidence that Brayden was distantly related to him — he would tell Ariel things he didn’t want her to know. But Julius would still make it work. He enjoyed the chase. He enjoyed the hunt. He craved that sweet moment, that moment when she would kill her lover, and the change would be complete. He wanted it so much he could almost taste it. He wanted her to be dark. He wanted her.
He would have her, soon enough. He sighed. This time, this time before he would become young again, made him weary. Fifty was too old — he was glad he’d found Ariel so quickl
y, after searching for a new witch. He wanted to start again. He was ready to start over.
Nadia would fight her, and bring her to him. His slave would obey him one last time. He didn’t relish killing Nadia, but it was necessary. He couldn’t turn Ariel while he was bound to another. He would do it, as he had so many times before. It would be worth it. Because he would have Ariel.
He wanted her.
Chapter 7
Brayden and Ariel arrived at a forest later that morning, to give Ariel time to practice using her magic. They left their horses to rest nearby, then stood together in the center of a clearing, facing each other. Brayden smiled.
“Alright,” he said. “What you did with your eyesight was amazing, but there’s so much you need to learn. You need to learn to control your magic with finesse. I want you to try to bring some leaves to us. Just relax, and concentrate.”
Brayden pointed to the trees circling the clearing, and moved a few paces away. Ariel held out her right arm at a large oak tree, wrinkling her nose, narrowing her eyes as she focused. She leaned her head back, as if she was frightened she’d uproot the entire tree, then twitched her index finger. She scrunched her eyes shut, waiting. Brayden was relieved to see a solitary leaf float towards her. He smiled.
“You did it! Ariel, you...”
Brayden gasped as the tree suddenly leaned forward, as if a giant was pulling it from the top, then all of the leaves became detached from the branches and began to hurtle towards them. The tree flung back upright, causing all the others around it to vibrate, dozens of birds squawking from within and flying away. Brayden stood there as he and Ariel became surrounded by piles and piles of leaves, right up to their waist. He frowned. Ariel grimaced.
“Try again?” she asked. He scratched his head.
“Why didn’t that work, Ariel? You were able to fix your eyes without them popping out of your head. Why couldn’t you bring a small leaf to us?”
She threw her arms up into the air. “I’ve only been using my magic a few days, after suppressing it most of my life. I can’t just do it perfectly straight away.”
Brayden clenched his jaw, as he tried to think of what to do. He didn’t want to become frustrated with her, especially as she was completely right. She had no experience — fixing her eyes was probably just a stroke of luck. He wanted to walk up to her, but didn’t think he could wade through the thousands of leaves. He suddenly found himself grinning.
“Brayden!” Ariel exclaimed.
“I’m sorry,” he said, “it’s just so cute. But this is serious, you’re right.” He rubbed his chin, trying to stop smiling. Then he thought of something.
“When you were concentrating on fixing your eyes, were you trying to be careful?’” he asked. “I don’t mean careful to hold back your magic, I mean careful of your eyes. Was it like a combination of letting out your full strength, but using part of your power to protect what you were using your magic on?”
Ariel stood there thinking for a moment, then she nodded. “Yes. It was like I knew I had to completely release my magic, but I was using a layer of it to shield my eyes, so they would be okay. How did you know?”
He shrugged. “Just an educated guess. It’s obvious you have the ability to do what you want, you just need to think about things differently. The question is, how do we make you bring out that layer of protection at all times?”
He ran a hand through his short hair, looking around him. He smiled, something occurring to him. He looked at Ariel. “Use your magic on me,” he said. Ariel gasped.
“No! Are you mad?”
He smiled again. “No, it’s perfect. I can’t walk out of these leaves, so you have to help me out anyway. So, help me out.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and gazed at her. She glared at him, like she thought he was doing this just to annoy her. She looked around, threw her hair over her shoulder, then magically transported out of the leaves to the edge of the pile. She stood there for a moment, then held out her arms towards Brayden, staring intently. He started to feel very nervous.
Ariel stood quietly for a long time, arms still outstretched, then Brayden suddenly felt like an invisible field of energy was covering him. He felt the force surround his body, making his skin tingle, then was surprised to feel himself lifted off the ground. He was carried up above the leaves, then over to the other end of the clearing. His feet gently touched the grass near the trees, then Ariel walked over to him. She smiled at him.
“I didn’t kill you!” she said happily. He grinned.
“No, you didn’t. Thank you. Now, think about how you did it.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Like I said, I released all of my magic, but I used some of it to shield you from the strength. I had to focus on both things at once. But how does that help me with moving objects?”
Brayden chewed his lip. “It’s the same thing. If you’re bringing a leaf from a tree, you imagine protecting the tree. Then you can release your magic, while holding back from causing such a huge impact. Do you think you could try?”
He gestured towards the trees, just next to them. Ariel turned and faced them, holding out her arm. She frowned, then wiggled her fingers gently, standing there silently. Nothing happened at first, the air still, silent; then the branches of one of the trees vibrated slightly, and a few leaves broke away and floated towards her. She held out her hand and they landed in her palm. She smiled again.
“I did it, Brayden. It was difficult, though. I need a lot of practice.”
Brayden stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, making her drop the leaves. He kissed her neck. “Then practice. But you did do it. I’m very proud of you.”
He looked at her fondly, and she blushed. He tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ear, then stepped back again. She stared at him for a moment, then turned back to the trees. Brayden felt his heart fill up with love for her. He thought she was so lovely.
***
Ariel practiced for several hours at the forest, rapidly gaining much better control over her powers. It was as if, once she knew how to think about her magic, she was able to improve very quickly. They rested briefly for a late lunch, then traveled until it was dark. They stopped for the night at a small, rundown inn, sitting in their room after eating a hot meal. Brayden yawned, feeling like he could go to bed, even though it was early. He looked at Ariel as she sat beside him on the bed, in the quaint room filled with old, rickety furniture, a dusty rug, and ripped curtains. He put his hand on her back.
“How are you feeling?” he asked. “Tired?”
She nodded. “I learned a lot today,” she said, “but there’s so much I don’t know. We’ve never really spoken too much about High Witches. I feel like I’ve been given all this power, but I don’t know why. Why me? Why wasn’t I just an ordinary witch?”
Brayden shrugged. “No one knows why a woman is chosen to be a High Witch. The story goes that whenever a High Witch dies, another is instantly born to replace her. It’s not something that happens to you later in life — a High Witch is always born with her power, like a regular warlock or witch. The difference is other people with magic usually have one or both parents with magic, but a High Witch can be born to people without magic.
“As to why you — I don’t know. Women with your powers could be born anywhere, to any family. There’s no way to predict it. All we know, from what’s been written down for centuries, is that there’s only ever three in the world at once. But, given how people with magic are often frowned upon all over the world, through no fault of their own, some women who are High Witches might not even find out, as they keep their magic hidden. Like you.”
Ariel frowned. “I just wish — I don’t know — that I could be enjoying getting to learn to use my powers, instead of having to run. I don’t want this, Brayden. I just want to be free. And to be with you.”
She looked down, fiddling with the folds of her skirt. Brayden reached over and took her hands in his, and she met his gaze. He d
rew her into his arms, holding her closely. He smoothed his hand down her hair.
“We’ll get through this somehow, Ariel,” he whispered. “I don’t know how, but we’ll get through it. I don’t want you to worry. I’m with you.”
She nuzzled his neck, sighing against him. Brayden wished he could protect her against everything. In the end, though, he knew this was mostly up to her. He completely adored her. He wondered if it was infatuation, but it wasn’t a simple case of being attracted to her — he loved so much about her. Her sweetness, her intelligence, the way she coped so well with what was happening to her. He loved her goodness, her heart. He knew some people never met someone they truly loved, but had he found her already? Was this her?
Chapter 8
They traveled for a few more days, stopping one afternoon at an empty field to rest for lunch. Ariel had been practicing every day, Brayden astonished at how much she’d improved. They sat eating under a tree in the cold day, sunlight shining through the clouds. They didn’t speak, both very tired from all the traveling. Ariel finally stood up, saying she needed to work on her magic some more.
“Try to focus on nature, like we discussed,” Brayden said. “Remember, you can draw from every source of magic there is, from wherever there’s power. You’re doing so well — try to master this now.”
Ariel nodded, then walked several paces away to the center of the field, standing in a large expanse of grass. Brayden watched her from where he sat, thinking she looked so beautiful. She looked at him for a moment, then shut her eyes.
She held out her arms, standing silently for a long while, her hair slightly blowing around her in the breeze. She remained still for several more moments, then gradually the wind grew stronger. Ariel’s hair flowed behind her, her skirt twirling around her ankles. Leaves swirled around her; a howling sound was in the air. The wind was focused on her, turning around her as she stood on the spot, as if she was at the center of a tornado. Flashes of lightning cut through the sky. A white glow illuminated her skin.
