You flinched when a branch snapped under you. You knew it was normal for fallen branches to be stepped on by animals or people roaming the forest, but as a wood nymph, that didn't stop your soul from aching for your fallen children.
You concentrated on "opening" the eyes of the tree in which you were, being able to see everything that the earth touched. You noticed the presence of a young woman in the forest. You could feel the false rage and despair from her, hiding the sadness of her heart, and more than that, you could feel the magic running through her veins.
"A witch? Well, that's certainly strange" you thought.
You knew about the coven across the river, but the witches usually stayed on their side.
You heard the girl mutter something about spells and laughter, but you couldn't understand very well, you spoke the language of trees, not that of humans, the words you knew from her language were about plants, axes, and fire, things that could turn out be dangerous to the forest. Still, you got down from the tree careful not to be heard by her.
Her shoulders shook and you winced when you heard her sob. For some reason, the sound pierced your heart and encouraged you to move a little further towards her. You looked over her shoulder and could see that she was holding her hand tightly.
You gasped silently when you saw the terrible mark, painful and recent, that the cruel fire left in its wake. It was a mark that you had seen many times on your beloved trees, but on this young witch, it seemed even worse.
The girl jumped when you put a hand on her shoulder. She had a pretty face, with apple-colored lips and tear-stained cheeks. And she had the sky in her gaze.
The witch looked everywhere, and it was when you remembered that you were still invisible to her eyes, so little by little you freed yourself from your camouflage, to present yourself to her. Any other nymph would know this was dangerous, the greatest of nonsense. It was taught to you that nymphs, especially those in the forest, must remain hidden from humans.
But you didn't feel the danger coming from her.
"W-who are you?!" she asked, a little flustered.
You put a finger to your lips, as a sign of silence. You didn't need to risk some lost walker hearing it and seeing you. You were already exposed enough.
You tried to talk to her, but it was obvious from the way she shrugged off a little bit from you, that she couldn't understand you. You sighed and for the first time wished that ancient generations of nymphs had allowed humans to learn the language of trees. But there was no time to lament about a distant past.
You carefully took the girl's burned hand, giving her an apologetic look when she gasped, either in pain or fear.
"What are you doing?!" she asked when you brushed your lips with her knuckles.
A few seconds later, you could feel the surprise shared between the two. Her by the way the burn slowly disappeared, taking away all traces of pain. You, on the other hand, are surprised by the taste of her magic. It wasn't...blue, but purple. Something strange for a witch these days.
Formerly, witches were free, powerful, they were not afraid to play with the beauty of darkness. Their magic was different shades of purple, strong and powerful. But then one of them had lost control, she wanted to dominate the shadows instead of living with them. She condemned her coven, and the witches feared what they once loved so much.
You knew that over the years, loving the dark was forbidden in all the covens of the world, and the magic of the witches had changed. It had turned blue, fragile, lying, and hideous.
So what was this little girl doing with an old magic in her being?
"Agatha!"
You two jumped. You quickly became invisible again, despite protests from the girl, who was begging you to stay with her. It was obvious, from the way her body tensed, that she was scared of the owner of her voice. Sadly, you had already broken several rules by introducing yourself to her and healing her, you couldn't help her more.
You moved stealthily, invisible to the world, and from the safety of your tree you saw another woman appear among the trees. She was older than the girl (Agatha, a voice whispered in your head), with a face damaged by years, work, and hatred. Her magic, unlike the girl's, reeked of blue, of lies, of false control.
You saw how the girl approached her trembling and although you could not fully understand what they were saying, you could feel the anger of the eldest and the sadness and fear of the girl.
As they walked away, you saw how the girl turned to see your tree, and although you knew that she couldn't see you, you sent a gentle breeze that ruffled her hair and a soft lullaby entered her ear. A promise that seemed to comfort her.
"I see you"
