Witches of the Night

Chapter 15 - The Warlock

After several investigations without finding any clue as to the hiding place and intentions of the Witches of the Night, I decided to reread all entries about witches in the journal that introduced me to this world parallel to ours. I finally decided to investigate one that had me curious for a long while.

It spoke of a witch doctor and diviner that attended to his clients in an annex close to his home, in the village of Perre, in Viana do Castelo. It was a story that I knew since I was a child. In fact, for a few years, I passed by his "cabinet" every day on the way to school and saw the rows of cars parked next to it. At the time, neither my family nor I had a lot of faith in his abilities, but after all that I had recently seen and read, I thought I should reconsider.

One weekend, I told my wife I was going to Viana do Castelo to visit my grandparents. Actually, I did go by their house but didn't stay long, and after, I headed to Perre.

When I reached the warlock's house, I had a strong sense of déjà vu. The annex, across the road from his home, looked the same, as did the adjacent field. Even the rows of cars on both sides of the road were as I remembered.

I parked behind one of them and headed to the annex. There, people gathered in groups of families and friends, waiting for their turn. These seemed to have varied backgrounds since suits mingled with overalls and farming clothes. The warlock's fame reached everybody.

I joined them and waited. Gradually, the groups went in and left. Everybody, without exception, emerged from the annex much happier than they had entered.

Finally, it was my turn. On the outside, the building looked like a small shed for agricultural tools. Nevertheless, when I went in, I felt like I had traveled back in time to the study of some Renaissance mystic.

One wall was covered by a shelf full of books, all of them looking very old. On the opposite wall, shelves contained bottles of potions with a huge variety of colors. The others, meanwhile, were almost entirely covered by tapestries with strange and mystical representations of the human body. Esoteric carpets, a brass telescope, and a mechanical planetary completed the decor.

Behind a desk littered with books and strange instruments I didn't recognize, sat the warlock. Going with the rest of the room, he was dressed in long robes and had a metal tiara.

"You may sit down," he said.

I sat in a chair across from him.

"Tell me, then, what brings you here?"

I confess I had forgotten to create a story to test the warlock. Then I remembered that that could be the story.

"I came here to test your capabilities, for my paranormal blog." It wasn't really a lie.

"If you pay, like everyone else, test me as you will. Where do you want to begin?"

We started with the basics. Without delay, he told me my wife and daughter's name and birthday. Then he made a short summary of my professional life. Finally, he predicted my daughter's academic achievements, but I would only be able to confirm them years later.

"Now I'd like to see your healing skills." With a small knife I had with me, I made a small cut on my arm.

"That scratch isn't really a challenge," he said, stepping out from behind his desk and approaching.

Asking for permission, he put a hand on my wound. Then he closed his eyes and remained silent for a few seconds. When he let go, the wound had disappeared without a trace.

It was obvious that the man was what he claimed to be: a wizard. Perhaps he knew something about the Witches of the Night or perhaps he might even be one of its members.