The Witch of Arcanoria, page 4
Dreselda’s pain increases, and her contractions become frequent. She gets in position to give birth, and with a clap of thunder, the baby enters the world.
I hand the baby, a girl, to Dreselda. She clutches the precious bundle to her chest. Her husband and I move her to the bed, and she collapses on it, exhausted. Then her husband sits down on the bed with her, admiring his wife and new baby.
I tie off the umbilical cord, and Dreselda cries out as she pushes once more. The afterbirth slides out of her, and I put it in a bowl. She will want to bury it later.
Running around, I clean up and put away my supplies. When I am finished, I look at the happy couple and smile. “Can I hold her?”
Dreselda’s husband whips his face up, eyes full of fear. “Just for a second,” I say. “Then I will leave you in peace.” For now.
They hand me the baby, and I hold her close. Something blooms inside me. I’ve held babies before, so I know it’s not simple baby love.
I feel it, my power. My well has grown since I broke the seal. But now? Now it’s as if my power is an ocean. It flows through me, and my heart races. Exhilarating.
Fear swirls inside my stomach. If Tade takes this baby, he will destroy me. I hand the baby back to her parents. “I’ll come by another time. Rest up now, all of you.”
After picking up my supplies, I head home.
Chapter 10
I roam my tower, unsure of what to do. If another wizard or witch finds out about that baby, there will be no stopping them. I need to keep her to myself.
Opening one of my books, I flip to a map of the realm. Most of it’s inaccurate now, with border changes happening every other month, but certain sites remain the same.
Such as the castle ruins. Apparently, they’re supposed to be for the future five queens. But only one castle is in use, the one up north. The rest are lost, forgotten. Crumbling messes.
Rumor is that deep in the forest, the remains of one of the castles still stand. I’ve never seen it myself, but I’ve also never ventured far from the lake. It is too dangerous.
I can’t take the baby yet at only a day old, but waiting much longer is too risky.
For now, I will find the castle. I pull out old maps, scouring them for any signs of a castle in the forest. A small space lies west of the lake, large enough for a castle.
A whistling sound flies through the air, and the wind whips my hair.
I gasp in horror. I forgot to lock my portal. Again. I run to my garden, flying out my door. Quickly, I try to do the spell, but I see a figure in the wind. It’s too late.
Tade steps off the portal stone and looks me up and down. “You’re alive. Interesting. Nice illusion spell, by the way. I only found out today it was a fake baby.”
I raise my eyebrows. The illusion had lasted longer than I had expected. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here for the real baby. Obviously.”
“It died. You just missed it.”
Tade narrows his eyes at me. “It’s so easy to see when you lie.”
I shrug and drop the bag, crossing my arms over my chest. “Why do you need more power, anyway? You’ve told me repeatedly that you’re already the most powerful wizard.”
“I am.” He pauses. “I guess it doesn’t matter if I tell you. You’ll be dead before you can tell anyone.”
I snort and glare at him. He glares back before continuing. “The wizards in the play had the right idea. The realm is broken. It needs someone powerful to heal it. Someone like me.”
“And then what? Everyone bows to you and calls you king?”
“I was thinking emperor, actually.” He sighs and rolls his eyes dramatically. “This is why you and I will never work. You dream so small.”
Before I can say another word, Tade encases me in ice. Just like last time. He leaves for next door. My heart races. I need to hurry. Closing my eyes, I reach down into my magic, further than I ever have before. Sweat pours down my face, and pain blossoms in my chest. I don’t care. I press my hand on the ice, and the fire that pierces through is pitch black.
I gasp and immediately regret using air I do not have. But it doesn’t matter. My black fire ropes evaporate the ice. In seconds, the ice encasing is gone. I rush after Tade.
The door to Dreselda’s house is open, and I run straight in. Dreselda’s husband is standing in front of his wife and baby, brandishing a small dagger. Tade’s hand is up, and I know he is going to freeze them both.
I throw out my fire, the black flames singeing his robe, just enough to get his attention. Tade jumps in surprise and turns toward me. “You again?”
He throws an ice dagger at me. Black plants burst from my shoulders, catching it. Tade’s mouth drops open as he stares at me. “What are you?“ he asks.
I summon all my magic. Everything that is in me comes to the surface. Pain blossoms in my chest again as I push my power to the absolute limit. I feel my hair lift off my neck, twisting with black flames. Black flowers and their stems wind around my arms and legs, obsidian strawberries bursting forth. The pain fades, leaving only power. A rope of black fire flies from my hand and wraps around Tade’s torso, snaking up around his neck. “Your end, love.”
He claws at the rope, ice shooting from his hands and skin. He raises a hand, sending a series of icy blasts through the ceiling. They burst wide into the sky, a bulletin of his death to the realm.
My fires continue to rage, as if the ice is a simple annoyance. I concentrate my magic on the single rope, and the dark flames grow, wrapping around Tade until he is completely engulfed.
When my shadow fire finishes consuming him, I pull my magic back to me. Ash drifts to the floor where Tade had been standing. Dreselda and her husband stare at me, fear in their eyes. “They will all come after her,” I lie, nodding to the baby. “He summoned them. I can protect her. Besides. You promised.”
Dreselda clutches her baby closer, wild panic in her eyes. Her husband grimaces and looks at his wife. “I am bound. We have no choice.”
“No,” Dreselda says. “We can move, protect her.”
“From wizards?” I say, motioning to the room. “Witches? Think of her safety. Your safety. Your other children.”
Dreselda’s shoulders fall in defeat. Her husband takes the baby from her arms, and tears stream out of her eyes. They each kiss their baby goodbye before I tie her to my front with the plants growing on me. I pluck two black strawberries, quickly enchanting each, and hand them over. “Eat this. It will protect you for a short time.”
It won’t. It will simply make them forget. Dreselda’s husband nods, his hands closing around the fruit. Dreselda’s wails follow me as I leave.
I run to my garden. Without hesitation, I throw an illusion over it. It will just look like an old tree now. The baby wails like her mother, and I pat her head. “We’ll be just fine.”
The portal stone carries us to the lake, and I head straight into darkness, red eyes following my every move. The precious baby sleeps as I run, and in desperation, I throw up a tracking spell. A light at my feet guides me through the dense forest until I see crumbling stones in the distance.
A grin spreads over my face.
Power, a baby, and a castle of my own. I got what I wanted, after all.
This is only the beginning! Find out what happens to the baby as an adult in Of Shadows and Death, book one of The Five Queens Prophecy.
Acknowledgments
Though this is a short story, it is not without it's help. Thank you to the Tuesday Tribe, Purple Rose Editing, and Blue Raven Covers. You all are the best and thanks for helping me get this story polished. Thanks to my loving husband, Brandon, and all my kids.
About Author
Sharlene Healy has been telling stories for as long as she can remember, starting with a story to her teacher about the truth of what really happened to her homework (aliens, obviously). Since then, she has tried on many hats, including nursing. The one’s she’s kept have been mother (kids have a no return policy) and storyteller.
Though she home schools her four rambunctious children, who resemble a pack of velociraptors some days, she finds time in the week to continue writing her stories. Thank goodness for Netflix and LEGOs.
Currently, Sharlene lives on the West Coast with her unbelievably patient husband, feral children, and a dog appropriately named Hyper. She loves to hear from people, so if you contact her, she’ll message back.
If you’d like to keep up with releases, cover reveals, and all that jazz, sign up for the newsletter or find her on social media.
If you'd like to discuss her books, join her Facebook Group: Can't Stop Won't Stop Reading or her Discord Channel: Sharlene’s Book Club.
Sharlene Healy, The Witch of Arcanoria
