Tales of Forbidden Love: Tale of Salem [Book 1]

Tarja (3)

Doing a summoning spell, actually talking with father and escaping from the Coven in order to find someone whom I only knew by name, and in reality I had no idea why I was looking for them, was the craziest thing I have ever done.

And yet, I did it anyway. Without a second thought. So huge was my desire to rebel. To explore. To be free.

Maybe it was selfish, stupid and reckless. But I did it, and there was no turning back from it. Definitely not when I was dragging myself through the tundra, all alone, in the wilderness.

Oksana understood me, the reason why I did it. She had always known that the fence-wall of our Coven, and occasional gatherings with other Witches, were not enough for me. I needed, wanted more. From the world, and from myself. I always knew that I was destined to something greater than life in a fenced cage.

I would have taken her with me, Oksana, but she did not want to. She would never leave mother alone. Not after finding out that Father is dead. I understood her, in this way. I loved our mother. But at the same time I hated her. To the core. For being so distant with me all my life. Being so harsh, overly protective of me all my life. That was something which, over time, made me hate her so much. And I did not know if she even realised it or not.

For what I felt very terrible was leaving Belosnézhka alone. I was the one who found her twelve years ago, as a little pup. I was the one who was feeding her, protecting her, raising her. She was my everything, and now, I left her. Out of no where. I started to sob upon the realisation.

"So you are saying you have raised a she-wolf? From a pup? That is very impressive, girl." The woodcutter, onto whom I stumbled upon as I was going through the tundra at night.

The three hours of clueless wandering were the worst, because despite me wearing a heavy coat and having  backpack full of supplies, I almost froze to death. I was going into the endless emptiness, during a dark night – hadn't I found an old old, abandoned stables where to my great surprise and happiness was a lot of straw, from which I was able to do the bedding, I would have died because of the cold. I fell asleep in the stables and woke up at sunrise, just at time to leave and continue in my way to the unknown.

I was considering to do a spell, just to find the right way to the nearest city but before I was able to do so, I hear a horse whining behind me. When I turned to see what was going on, I noticed a cart being pulled by two horses, and a man holding the reins. It was the woodcutter, who as he told me, after me accepting his offer to get on, was going through this way every day to get to the huge forest. I lied to him when he asked me how I got to the road, I told him that I got lost during the night and somehow ended in the open. I couldn't tell if he believed me or not, but he offered to take me to the small town, which was the only place in the area connected to the railway.

I had no idea what a railway was, and so he had to explain it to me. When he told me that the metal carriages would take me far away, it was all I needed to know.

On the way, after time of awkward silence and distrust, from my side,  we got talking. And somehow I began to talk about me taking care of Rose Red.

"Da. I have been taking care of her for a very long time. She is much more than a wolf to me. She is my everything. And now I left her, all alone." I said, unable to keep myself sobbing. I was feeling so bad for what I did.

"You know, girl, sometimes it is for the better, to leave it as it is. Do not think about it." The woodcutter said to me. "You see, wolf is not your friend, wolf is a feral beast which was only kind to you because you provided her with the food. Had you now done so, it would have killed you and feasted on your meat."

"But, she is not like that, She would never do anything like that to me. She is like a child to me." I said in defence. I was true to my words, I knew her. I loved her, and she loved me, I knew it. And talks of an old woodcutter would not change my mind, at any cost.