The girl with the fire in her veins

Rozdziale Piątym

Translator: Jasnowidz - seer.                                                                                                                                                   Eliksiru - potion.                                                                                                                                                       Biegnij - run.

After the seer returned Lucja’s brother back to the safe arms of their waiting mother, she beckoned them to sit down on the small chairs as she gravely took their hands in hers and closed her eyes.

Lucja’s mother and father shared a confused glance before the jasnowidz’s eyes snapped open and turned an eerie white color, almost as if she went completely blind, before she started talking in a language that they didn’t understand.

Lucja’s brother is running through the fields of a distant town that used to be home to the old woman. He is much older than he is now and he looks happy and content, his fiery veins are showing through is thin cotton shirt and one can clearly see where it stops… just above his ribcage.

He drinks something from a silver vile and his veins momentarily turn icy blue before they burn again…

After a few heartbeats the jasnowidz’s eyes returned to normal and she let go of the two hands she was holding. She told them about her vision before standing up and shuffling to one of the big bookcases.

She returned with an old book bound together with a big leather strap. After she untied the knot she carefully paged through the book until she found the spell she was looking for.

“What is going on?” Lucja’s father asked “Can you help us?”

"Yes, yes, I can make a potion to keep the curse at bay for the little one” the jasnowidz replied.

She got up and went to a small cabinet that was well hidden behind a big velvet-like curtain and beckoned to her visitors to come closer.

“I will make potion for the little one which he must drink everyday for the rest of his life, it will freeze the curse in place and prevent it from spreading to the little boy’s heart but, every time he does not drink it the curse will spread and with time he will die, understand?”

Both parents exchanged a worried glance before they both nodded.

“Good, I will make eliksiru with a little drop of liquid ice, crushed crystals, some water and venom from the vipera berus… he drink this everyday he will grow up to be nice boy.”

“We will see to it that he takes it every day.” His mother said.

Just then, they heard a loud thump and the sound of birds squawking and the unfurling of wings. As they all ran outside they saw Lucja standing in the middle of an epiphany of black birds with a big smile spread across her little face as she bent down to pick up a pebble that was lying at her feet. Her father ran towards her and picked her up before carrying her back to the safety of the little house.

“Look Papa!” she yelled as she pointed a small finger in the direction of a big, black tornado like form that hung over the clearing. The jasnowidz stepped away from her little house and slowly murmured foreign words while she steadily looked up at all her birds until they obediently went back to their rightful places in the forest canopy before she turned around and went back to the house.

“I make eliksiru  while you watch the girl.” she said before she went inside and firmly closed the door.

The girl is running through the woods, she is running very fast… too fast. She can feel their yellow eyes on her back as they watch her, their low growls following her until she heard someone’s footsteps behind her. She hides under a big bush and keeps very still. The person is approaching and she closes her eyes before she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“There you are!” her younger brother called and the girl crept out from under her hiding place, she stretched out her hand so that the little one can pull her up and that’s when she saw it: The veins in her wrist shone bright red, almost like fire.

“Happy birthday Lucja!” the little one said and gave his sister a hug. “How does it feel to be seventeen years old?”

Once inside the old woman had foresaw a terrible thing and she quickly finished the potion before she was overcome with another vision.

Lucja was running again, but this time it looked as if she was flying, before she fell to her knees.

When she recovered she hurried outside and quickly gave the lekarstwo to Lucja’s mother and watched as she gave it to the red headed toddler. His veins momentarily turned icy blue before they returned to normal.

After that she turned to Lucja and gave her a piece of paper with something scribbled on it and watched as the little girl struggled to read it.

Both parents thanked the old woman and promised to spread the word of her helping them before they gathered their things and set off on their journey back home.

When her parents called for Lucja to join them the jasnowidz quickly took her hands and whispered “Biegnij, little girl…” before she let her go.