The Demon-Witch

Chapter 1: A Wilted Flower

Chapter 1

            The time to resurface was imminent.

Two years ago, she escaped her execution. Since then, she had been lying low, regaining her strength and becoming stronger. She had to prepare to completely destroy the reigning monarch of this country. Beforehand she was not ready, but now things were very different. The wind was shifting. She could feel it.

The government had covered up the execution incident to avoid embarrassment. They officially announced that she was dead, but she was certain there were soldiers who were still searching for her. She had seen and killed one of them herself. But for the most part, she could easily move around undetected whereas before, people would be suspicious of any lone woman traveling by herself.

At the moment, she was searching for her next prey. From the shadows of the corner, she surveyed the area, searching for him. The tavern was loud and crowded with men frivolously drinking. They were vulgar and they were raw. As alcohol etched away at false pretenses, people were letting emotions loose. She watched amusedly as a fight suddenly broke out and the two men punched at each other sloppily. The fight didn’t last long because they both passed out on the floor. She shook her head.

Every table was full and every second someone was roaring with laughter or screaming in anger. It was chaotic enough that almost everyone seemed oblivious to her except for one calm threatening shadow on the other side of the room. She ignored him. As long as he didn’t get in her way, he could threaten her as much as he wanted. Scanning the bar she heard someone yell a name and noticed the jolly hefty man who looked to be in his mid-forties. He was going to die today.

It was simple enough to walk over there and slit his throat, but that was much too easy. She wanted to have a bit of fun. It wouldn’t hurt to reveal herself in a small isolated town like this one.

She grabbed her glass, walked over to where he was sitting, and took a seat next to him on the bar stool. Then she pulled the cloak hood from over her head and let her long wavy black hair fall alongside her face. She usually kept it cut at her shoulders, but after the execution she had let her hair grow to the middle of her back. The man sitting next to her was laughing about something the man on the other side of him said when he turned to look at her. She looked up at him.

She raised her glass to him. “Fine day outside isn’t it?” Their eyes met and he seemed taken aback to find a woman sitting next to him. Then he slowly smiled.

“Why hello miss. I’ve never seen you in town before. I take it you aren’t from around here.”

“Nope.” She continued to stare into his brown eyes.

            He laughed. “Well, stay for a while.” He held up his glass to her and drunk from it before slamming the glass down and letting a contented sigh escape from his mouth.

Suddenly another man burst into the bar wide eyed and frazzled. There were two dark circles under his eyes and his clothes were ragged and torn. He smelled something awful. She could smell the stench from where she was sitting. He appeared deathly scared as well.

“I-I-I saw her again. I saw the Demon-Witch. She was, there was,  there-there was magic. She used magic. The flowers, they wilted when she touched them. She’s the devil I tell you. The devil!”

She wondered if he was referring to her, but that was impossible. She had never seen that man in her life and she had never wilted flowers by touch.

“Not again,” someone said. “Go home Willis.” Another man said.

The bartender personally walked him to the door and kicked him out. He was putting up a struggle.

“Who was that man?” She asked the one sitting next to her.