The Occult's Caretaker

3. The Witch

"Burn her! Burn the witch!"

"What's going on here?", I asked the crowd as I entered town.

No one heeded to my question, so I pushed through the crowd to see a woman, in her undergarments, on the ground before a pile of wood.

"She's a witch!"

"And how do you know that?", I asked unconvinced.

"She has strange things in her home and potions!"

I rolled my eyes, "How about I check if she's a witch?", I suggested.

"And how would you go about proving or not she's a witch!?", one spat at me.

I ceremoniously pulled out the silver cross I carry and a bottle of holy water from the church. I dipped the cross into the water and pressed the cross to her forehead.

"It'll burn if she's a witch", I said confidently.

Nothing happened.

"See, she's just an herbalist healer; she uses plants to heal. And there's nothing wrong with that. Let her go", I ordered.

"Why should we trust you! You could be one too!", someone accused.

"Yeah! Aren't you always out there with those strange beasts in the forest?! That man outside of town. Rumor has it he's a shapeshifting devil! Maybe we should burn him too!"

"What!? You are all fools! That man and his forefathers have protected this town for generations. His grandfather's statue stands in front of the library! You would dishonor his good name for baseless claims merely because of your ignorance and inability to accept those who are different!?", I argued.

They all looked down, ashamed.

"Here, let me help you, Mrs. Yadte", I said as I placed a cloak around her shoulders and helped her up.

I took her home.

"Let's pack your things. I highly doubt they'll give up so easily. Didn't I tell you to be more careful. You know how ignorant humans are", I lectured.

"I'm sorry. Your family has done so much for me and protected me", she apologized.

"Don't apologize. It's not your fault. Luckily, we've always prepared for this", I said as I hastily packed her things and loaded them into the carriage.

She closed the shutters and shut the curtains tight, so that no one could see inside, then a wand materialized in her hand. The objects around the house began to float and pack into the crates.

I sighed disapprovingly, "What did I say about no using that thing within the borders of town!"

"You worry too much... Even if they did burn me, I wouldn't exactly die, just be inconvenienced until I could grow a new body"

I clasped my hands over her mouth and put my finger to my lips to gesture her to "shush". How she has managed to survive as a witch with such a naïve tongue is beyond me.As we loaded the last of her things onto the carriage, the priest, Father Maurice, approached us.

"Lady Jylan, what are you doing? This woman has been condemned by the church as a witch. My lady, I appreciate all that your family does in this town, but I'm afraid your kindness may blind you from the truth. You may even be accused of being friendly with a witch", he warned.

"She's not a witch. Just a lonely widow who believes nature can heal our physical wounds. It's similar to your job, which is to deal with the spiritual wounds. My holy cross doesn't hurt her, so she's just a human that's been misunderstood. Since this town no longer wants her here, I am helping her leave. And if that condemns me, a daughter of the Aniceta family, then so be it", I frowned at him.

"Leave?", a young woman said holding up her elderly mother, "but if you leave, who will treat us? The doctor is too expensive and he only made my mother's condition worse! Only you helped us! Mrs. Yadte, please don't go!", she cried.

Yadte looked at the women in sadness. She pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down some directions on how to make the medicine they needed and gave it to them.

"Ask Jylan if you have a hard time finding these herbs", she instructed.

She nodded them a goodbye, then boarded the carriage. The priest's face turned up in a scowl as he stormed away. I egged the horse to move forward and quickly exited the town and headed to the northern forest. We arrived to our destination right before night fall. There, in the dim light, stood an old, but lovely cottage behind a stone fence.

"Here we go. Home", I said with a smile.

Yadte looked distraught.

"I know you're not happy with this having to leave home suddenly, but it's for the best. We can find you a new town with a caretaker next year when the voices calm down. Okay?", I comforted.

"I know but... You and your mother worked so hard, and I was finally able to settle down. I think I got too comfortable and messed up. Will you be safe?"

"We'll be fine. This isn't the first time, trust me", I rolled my eyes at the thought as I got to work organizing her things.

She gave me a sorrowful smile and began to help me unpack the crates.

"Why do you carry that cross with you anyway? I know you of all people don't believe in it", she asked while putting away the glass vials.

I laughed, "For the effect. It's a good ruse when taking care of the occult. Much like today, by pretending to be an innocent, holy, god-fearing woman, you can get away with quite a lot under the nose of the church"

We made eye contact and exploded in maniacal laughter at the thought. Due to the time, I spent the night at the cottage, and to make sure everything was in order. I arose at dawn and instructed her to send her familiar if she needs anything else.

"I'll be off now", I nodded and turned my horse, Lilith, towards the gate.

"Wait", Yadte commanded as she walked up next to me.

She seemed uncharacteristically nervous as she held out her hand.

"I don't know all the details, but you'll need this in the near future. Keep it safe", she explained.

I took the smooth iridescent stone from her hand and looked it over. Yadte is a spotty foreseer, but has good intuition, so all I can do is trust her words. I nodded and clicked my tongue at Lilith to head back to town.