Dragon Tamer - Book 1

Chapter 81

Cries and screams filled the air, the villagers began to panic and a few stumbled off home without a backwards glance.

As always, Kena saw an opportunity,

"Fear not!" she cried, "Fear not your Goddess! She calls for the Witches death also! We must sate her fury. Burn her!"

She pointed to Perick, he nodded at her and stepped forward, walking towards the pyre, torch held before him.

Marcie watched him come with dead eyes.

He reached the pyre and bent at the waist, bringing the flame close to the dry sticks.

A gust of wind blew the torch out.

The villagers stared.

Perick gaped at the torch in disbelief.

Then the wind rose and battered the waiting villagers. Raising the dust of the earth in great plumes, it filled eyes, noses, blew hair and sent it flying, lifted skirts and sent shawls spinning off into the dark.

Breen cowered and hid his face from the wind, Justyna clutching at him,holding a rag to her nose and mouth, eyes squeezed shut. Through his streaming eyes, Breen saw Marcie raise her face to the wind, her long golden hair dancing around her head and take a deep breath. Then she looked through the crowd and Breen heard her say, even over all the noise,

"Dafne?"

The wind died down suddenly and sure enough...

"Whats all this then?" an angry voice proclaimed.

Lightning hit the ground again, with a crack and the scattered villagers flinched.

"Leave yer alone for a few minutes an look what you got yourself into" The Witch Dafne said as she stomped into the collapsed circle,

"Why you let em put you up there girl eh?" her voice lowered in anger and Breen realised she was addressing Marcie, who stared at her, an unreadable expression on her deathly pale face.

"Oi bitch" Dafne said crisply pointing her knobbly walking stick at Kena, "This your doing bitch?"

Kena picked herself up off the floor and smoothed down her skirts, raising her head she opened her mouth to speak,

"Yeah I bet you been workin yer hooks inta all these lovely folks, betrayin yer blood an spreadin yer seed, revelin in er humiliation, well it stops now" Dafne stated, cutting Kena off with a brusk wave of her hand,

She surveyed the villagers, most of whom were slowly recovering and not meeting her eyes.

Breen had to admit she cut a terrifying figure. Her long black skirts swirled around her in the breeze, her pale bony hands sat upon the top of a walking stick he had never known her to need and her pale eyes judged all.

She caught his eye and he tried not to flinch, but she smiled at him, something she had never done before,

"Dont need ta worry now Breen my boy, ole Dafne's ere an aint nobody burnin tonight!"

She released him from her gaze and instead directed it towards the rest of the crowd, many of whom wilted beneath her fury.

"How dare you" she said sofly, "How dare you claim to hold the powers of life and death within your hands. To judge and find guilty on nothin but the word of a lyin harlot whos taken so many men to her bed that ye know at least some of em gotta be wed" she cackled and Kena raised her hands to her face as if to ward off Dafne's words as though they were physical blows,

"I aint a harlot" she mumbled pathetically, "You cant listen to the W-"

"Witch is it!" Dafne said sharply, "Oh aye, I be a Witch" she stood straighter still, as the villagers gasped,