Sorceress

Chapter 8:

Allil is preoccupied with instructing the mass of people that have turned into an organized body of people. Not knowing quite what to do, I amuse myself with looking over the end of The Overhang- it seems to be called The Drop- and once the diziness has passed, I am enraptured by the beauty that I can see beneath me. I see forest owning the rugged landscape as far as the eye can see- you can't even see The Ravine as it is covered by branches. To the North I can spy fires flickering through the trees- Vikings, yet to the South, although there are known Celtic encampments still living in peace there, you can see nothing but leaves and bark. Dale comes up to me, and stands before me,

"Aine?" I turn to him, snapped out of my reverie, "Allil instructed me to teach you how to begin to master your skills as a Soceress in time for the battle," hope flames through me,

"I will be fighting?" I had heard some of the elders mentioning that I wasn't trustworthy yet to be allowed to join the fight,

"Yes, Allil persuaded the elders that you have just as much cause to wish to fight as any of the rest of us." I instantly tear my eyes away from the scene beneath me, eager to be taught how to become one of the wielders of magick.

Dale places a branch in front of me, kneeling beside the branch,

"Set it on fire," I suddenly sense that the majority of the elders looking at me, waiting in calm anticipation. Back home our sorceress had been called Cerise, and she had always told the little children gathered around the feast fire, waiting on her fascinating and magical tales, that the key to magick is to understand the connection between yourself and the wisdom of nature. You can never see nature as something menial and below yourself, you must see it as an equal. Picking up the branch, I can feel some sort of life flow reverberate along the rough peeling bark, and rubbing it in between my hands, I mutter the immediate words that come to mind, in my native tongue. When I open my eyes, I can see Dale nodding astoundingly at me, and the elders muttering between themselves. Looking down at the branch, I see that it is twisted by flames, no part of it left unblackened. "Retract the fire," Dale instructs, and pulling myself out of the sort of strange trance- like state I was in when connecting with the magick, the flames blaze bright, and leap away from the branch, glancing across the stone before disappearing into the thin air. The ash left crumbling in my pale hands scatters away with the wind. The blind old man shifts his position so that he can smell the ash, and grasps out, grabbing some blackened soot.

"So, she does have it in her," he mutters, throwing his hand forward, letting the ash fly high into the grey listless skies.

Dale has taught me the basic principles of magic, and I will now be able to connect easily with nature, however, the rest of my learning now will come with experience. A girl about my age, called Una, hands me a set of roughly sharpened knives, and a sword. I recognize her as a member of the Cilliante tribe- my own tribes enemies. Shame floods my cheeks as I remember our last raid on their village- and how I assisted in the killing of Una's elder brother. As she turns to smile at me, and offer a much needed meal of rabbit broth, her smile slips off her face when she recognizes me. She blinks, as though trying to place my face. I guess that she wouldn't immediately recognize me, when the last time we came face to face, I was covered in war paint, and she was pleading for her brothers life. While I feel shame, I also feel no remorse, for her brother murdered our late chief- my grandmother. Her face immediately hardens into a mask, as she barks out a short command,

"Kieran," her twin- I recognize him also- comes running over, depositing a bundle of weapons in Druga's arms. Before feeling any apprehension about what may come of this, I feel a surge of jealousy for Una having any family or friends with her, I did look for familiar faces earlier on- yet found none.

"What is wrong, Una?" her brother asks, not yet noticing me, Una points an accusing finger at me,

"Do you recognize," her words are clipped, and she takes a long measured breath, "this particular girl, dearest brother," Kieran slowly turns to me, and then something seems to click, as he looks at me as though I am the worst scum possible," I notice the rest of the runaway slaves beginning to pile into the cave, and Kieran charging at me.