by Crissy Moss
From the corner of my eye, I saw a light bouncing across the surface of the pond. A firefly.
“Did you come to grant my wish again, little firefly?” I asked, standing up. My voice wasn’t as shaky as it had been the last time I was here. I wasn’t crying and distraught, either. This time, I was filled with questions. Questions about magic and fire. About pyres that don’t burn, and families that cast you out. There was still a sadness deep inside me, but the questions drowned out the sadness in their need to be answered.
I got up, ready to follow after the light. Where better to find answer to questions about magic than from the only witch in the valley?
***
The fireflies led me back to Winifrey just as they had the first time. But this time, I was walking with a purpose, knowing where I was going even if I did not have any idea what I should do once I got there.
Winifrey was waiting for me by the her home, cups of tea beside her on a small, shiny plate.
“You knew I’d be back?”
“I had a feeling,” she said, gesturing to the place beside her.
I took a seat and accepted the offered cup of tea. Sweet honey and flowery nectar wafted up from the cup as I breathed in the aroma.
“Something happened,” she said. Not a question, just a statement. By the look of what was left of my clothes, it couldn’t be denied. How much did she know? Could she read my thoughts? The future? Did the fireflies bring her gossip as well as stray girls from the forest?
She smiled at me as though she knew exactly what I was thinking.
“I can’t read thoughts,” she said, “or see the future, but I have been around a few moons. I know that when great things start happening it usually starts with the tiniest of things. A butterfly blowing the wind and setting off a chain reaction. I know that when a man feels that he has been wronged for many years, he will often lash out at those he blames for hurting him even if they weren’t the cause of his pain. And I know magic when I see it.”
“Magic?”
She turned to smile at me.
“The fireflies aren’t attracted to just anyone, Sybel. They find sources of warmth, and magical warmth is as good as any other. You must have a bright soul to attract so many to you.”
I glanced back at the field where the fireflies had been dancing around me.
“But why here?” I asked. “Why did they bring me here?”
“I suspect that was your magic protecting you. It sought out another like you so that you could find some comfort in a difficult moment. There is a magical essence inside us all; it has a mind of its own. It’s spawned from the dragons, after all.”
“Dragons? You mean the dragons that created the world?”
“And everything in it,” she said, gesturing out to the little cottage and the grove beyond it. “That includes magical beings like us. The spark of creation is inside us, allowing us to manipulate the world, in some small part, as they did. Some have more ability than others, but in the end it doesn’t matter. We all came from the same dragons, and we all have been touched with their gift.”
I looked down at my hands, the charred edges of my dress still crumbling against my skin. “It doesn’t feel like a gift.”
She patted my arm, smiling. “It never does, Sybel. Not at first, but I hope that someday it changes for you as it did for me.”
“Then what am I supposed to do? Stay here and learn from you?”
She pulled back, giving me an appraising but kind smile.
“Do you think that would be wise?”
“You’re the only other magic user in the entire valley,” I said. “Where else would I go?”
She smiled wider, warmer this time. “There is a wide world beyond the mountains, Sybel. A world with many wonders that you should see. A world where mages are not cast out, where they are welcomed. Admired. Sought after.”
She leaned forward, patting my knee again. “Mind you, I wouldn’t mind the company, but I don’t want to hold you back, either.”
“How could you possibly hold me back? You have so much you could teach me.”
“I have magic,” she admitted, “but it’s a very small magic. I have an ability with plants and minerals, an affinity with potions, but I know next to nothing about fire.”
“There’s a difference?”
She laughed. “Is there a difference between the sun and the moon? Of course! There are many schools of magic, and each student has to find the balance with their particular school. Just as you will.”
“Student? Is there a school for mages?”
“Now, that is a fine idea,” she said, sitting back against a tree stump. Her eyes looked out over the field of fireflies, but I could tell she wasn’t seeing them. She was seeing something far in the distance. “You could go to the collegium and study with the mages. They would know how to help you.”
“The collegium?”
My mind began to spin with the idea of not one but many mages in a building all together. There were stories, of course, tales I had heard from my mother. But they were just stories, right?
“It is a great glittering city on an island,” Winifrey began. “If a child shows magical aptitude, then they will take them in. It’s safer for all of us that way. If a child isn’t trained to control their magic, then...accidents can happen.”
Accidents? How could being immune to fire cause an accident? But perhaps others could do things that I could not do. The dragons ruled the elements—earth, fire, air and water. If someone could control water, or wind, maybe I could control fire?
“The mages teach any student with an ability in magic,” she said. “None are turned away. As I said, it’s safer for everyone that way.”
“But how would I get there? I don’t know anything about the world beyond the valley.”
“Then it’s time you learned. There’s a wide world out there, and I think you’ll find your mother was preparing you for it over the years.”
I blinked at her blankly. How had my mother trained me for life outside the valley? She trained me to cook, clean, and care for horses. I knew nothing of traveling beyond the mountains or how to find passage and rooms.
“Oh, come now, I know the stories she used to tell. Mages and dragons, princesses locked in towers. She would tell them to me when I was treating her for the wasting disease. You know so much about the world beyond already; you just haven’t been out there to experience it, so you don’t recognize it. Once you go, I’m sure you’ll do fine.”
I didn’t believe her, of course. What does a fish know about flying? Until I was there, I wouldn’t be able to see the truth in her words.
“Would you go with me?” I asked.
She sat down, and for the first time I noticed the slow movements. The way her knees seemed to give out as she sank into a chair sitting at the edge of the pond. The deep lines in her face. The sadness in her eyes.
“I wish I could go with you, Sybel,” she said. “I’ve done my adventuring. I traveled the world collecting exotic plants and testing them. I’ve helped nurse the sick to health, and I might have met a dragon or two in my time. But those days are long gone for me.”
She gave me a sad smile, patting my hand. “Adventure is hard on a young body, but one as old as mine wouldn’t be able to make the journey you’re going to be making. I’m not a mage, just a collector of knowledge. So, let me give you that, my knowledge. That much I can send with you.”
She pulled a book out from her voluminous skirts and handed it to me. It was covered in blue fabric with a painting of a tree on the front. Cracked and worn, the book may have been old, but it was still holding together. Just like Winifrey.
“What is it?” I asked, running a finger over the cracked paint on the cover.
“It’s a book of herbs and lore. You might find it useful someday. You’ll find information about local plants to eat or make medicines from. It would be useful for a journey outside the valley.”
I turned the book over and fli
pped open the front cover. Inside it said Useful Flora and Fauna in beautiful flowing script. There were leaves and flowers running along the outer edges of the page as well. I wasn’t sure how much use a book on herbal lore would be, but I would be spending my free evenings to read the book, just in case.
“Then you think I should leave?”
“I do. You can stay here for a few days, rest, and get your bearings. I’ll help you patch up your clothes, too. But there’s more to your journey, Sybel. You shouldn’t be wasting your time with an old woman here in the forest. You need to go beyond the mountains. To see the mages and learn more about yourself.”
“I think you believe in me more than I do.”
“That, too, shall pass,” she said, leaning over and giving me a quick hug. “You survived more than most already, and you haven’t even left the valley.”
I chuckled, though it still felt raw to think of my father throwing me on the pyre. But she was right. Who else could say they survived their own execution?
I held the book to my chest, my arms wrapped around it like a lifeline; if it had the information she said it did, then I would need it. I knew nothing about the world beyond the forest or how to fend for myself. But I knew there would be food and shelter out there if I only knew where to find it.
Did I want to brave the world beyond Brefalls? Glancing around the glade, then back to the forest toward the sleepy village from which I had been expelled, I didn’t know if I had a choice. Winifrey was right; staying with her might not be any better option than trying to stay in the village. They banished me, but if Winifrey was right and there was some magical talent inside me that I needed to learn to control, then staying here with her wasn’t a good idea, either.
“I know it might seem harsh of me,” she said. “The world outside probably looks like a dark and terrible place right now. You’ve just lost your mother, your father, and now your home, so I can understand why you would be hesitant. But there are other things to consider.”
I glanced back at her and saw worry crinkling up her brow.
“What other things?”
“I am not entirely a hermit, Sybel. The villagers do come here for treatments, potions, and small spells. If you were to stay here, you would not be able to avoid them.”
“You don’t think they’d accept me as your assistant? They did expel me for being a witch.”
“Yes, in time.” She gave me a comforting smile, but I could see the worry behind it. “Things are going to be changing for you, Sybel. Many people will be afraid of you, others will want to attack you because of that fear, and some will avoid you. But most people out beyond the mountains are more open-minded. They will help you and encourage you along your path. If you learn quickly, you’ll save yourself heartache.”
Did I sense a hint of heartache in her past? I didn’t know Winifrey enough to ask anything personal, but there were shadows around her eyes and a sadness there. Something, or maybe someone, in her past had hurt her.
“I wish you could come with me,” I said.
“I do, too, but I’m an old woman now. I’d only slow you down.”
I smiled, accepting the decision, though I could feel a shiver of fear running through me. All I knew of the world beyond the valley had come from my mother’s stories and the sailors telling tales over campfires, neither of which were completely accurate. Had my mother even been outside the valley? I wasn’t sure. If she had been, she never told me about it.
“Come on,” Winifrey said, standing up. As she did I could see the slight wobble she tried to hide. She took a few steps, and I could see she favored one ankle as though it pained her. She took slow and deliberate steps, testing the area in front of her before trusting herself to move forward. Could she see? Perhaps not as well as she did when she was younger.
“I have an old dress we can fit to you,” she said as she led me into the house. “And a nice stew on the fire.”
True to her word, Winifrey helped me alter the dress to fit. The fabric was sturdy and a dark brown. Serviceable for traveling if I decided to do so.
The stew was filling, and it felt good to be inside by the hearth of someone who was happy to see me. After the last few days, it felt like there were very few people who would be.
As the sun sank and we settled in for the night, I paged through the book she had given me. Pictures of unusual flowers, leaves, nuts, and berries filled each page. I read descriptions from several I recognized and learned new uses for them. Lilac or thyme for stomach problems. Sage for memory and health. There were recipes, teas, and ointments to be made. And quite a few of them had ways to increase their potency with magic.
“How do you use magic to make a potion stronger?” I asked while reading over one of the pages. It described a salve for burns that used a cactus that I hadn’t seen before. The notes said that magic made the potion a fire-resistant salve to use when near flames.
“There are a few ways to do so,” Winifrey said. “It involves finding the magic of the elements and infusing it in the salve or potion. It takes a great deal of practice to do it well, but I think you’ll be able to do well with that once you are able to try. Fire is a wonderful element for potion brewing.”
I closed the book, pulling it closer to me. “We don’t even know if I have magic with fire, just that I walked through it unharmed.”
“And that’s a trick in itself, isn’t it?” she said. “Not very many can do such a thing.”
“Oh?”
She came to sit down beside me, topping off my tea.
“Magic is a fickle thing. Some have small amounts, and some have much greater amounts. Emotions will make the use stronger, and I suspect being pushed into a fire is what finally let your magic emerge. It needed to protect you, and so it wrapped you in protection so that you wouldn’t burn. But if someone with an affinity for water or earth were to be pushed into the flames, their magic would have emerged in a different way. Say a cloud suddenly appearing to douse the flames or an earthquake opening the earth to swallow them whole. But you walked through without touching them, so that would mean you will be strongest in fire.”
“But we have no idea what else I could do.”
“No, not yet, but I’m sure it won’t be long until you find out if you travel to Kemoor. If you could stand in a pyre without burning, then it must be strong. And with strong magic it is unwise to experiment without help. Yet another reason to go to Kemoor.”
She patted my hand, giving me a smile, though the shadow was still in her eyes. “Sometimes we do things that are hard because they make us stronger,” Winifrey said. “You can’t run from trouble, Sybel. Running just puts it off. Trouble will find you, and when it does your back will be to it because you ran. Better to face it head-on and deal with it. Take trouble at your own speed, your own place of choosing. You’ll come out better for it.”
I couldn’t disagree with her. As much as stepping outside the comfort of our valley scared me, maybe she was right. The time had come to try something new, to find another path to follow.
Travel
The ships wouldn’t take me.
I shouldn’t have been surprised. I didn’t have any coins since my purse was locked inside my father’s home. Not that I had many to begin with. Winifrey would have offered me anything, but she mostly bartered and had very little in the way of coins. She was able to give me a small satchel, a knife, and a few bags of hardtack that had been made for the winter. But you couldn’t buy passage on a ship with hardtack. At least the dress Winifrey gave me was serviceable.
After three days resting and gathering a few small possessions that she could spare, it had become increasingly obvious that she lived a very austere life. If I stayed too long, she would run out of supplies. Winifrey was an old woman, with useful talents, but she lived on the edge of a town that allowed her to stay only begrudgingly. And while I doubted either of us would starve with her knowledge of plants, it wasn’t right for me to impose on her as I was.
On the third day, just after midday, Winifrey led me back to the edge of town for the second time.
She gave me a warm hug, and I wanted to hold on for a moment. But I couldn’t. There was world waiting for me outside the village, beyond the mountains and sea.
I let her go, and Winifrey disappeared into the forest as she had the last time. I was sure that if I made my way back to that pond in the middle of the forest there would be no fireflies waiting for me this time.
I stood on the same hill, looking down at the sleepy town of Brefalls. So much had changed in less than a week, and yet here I was. Unburned. Unmarred. And still trying to find my place in the world.
I pushed all the doubts and stray hurts aside. There wasn’t time for them. If I couldn’t stay with Winifrey, that just meant I had to find my own way in the world. And that meant supplies.
I managed to find a clothesline with freshly washed woolen blankets out to dry and added two of them to my meager possessions.
A part of me bulked, for a moment. Stealing wasn’t something a young girl from a farm did; it was something you heard of in stories. The cagey thief sneaking into open windows at night, and the brave hero out to stop him. But I wasn’t sneaking into a window in the dead of night, and I wasn’t looking for gold and gems.
This was no longer an option. This was survival. It was the least the village owed me after banishing me.
I took two of the blankets, stuffing the twinge of guilt down with all the other emotions I had been feeling and snuck back into the woods.
It was easy to fashion one of the blankets into a small carrying sack with a little cutting and time—even without a needle and thread. Having a bedroll and a knapsack made it feel a bit more like a camping trip instead of banishment but only slightly. I still had no other clothing and no money to my name. I didn’t even have a way to carry water with me if I went deeper into the woods.
