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.
He turned towards her and laughed. “That is Willis, the town crier. Every other day he thinks he’s seen some witch doing magic and threatening to kill him. He’s just a madman. Pay him no mind.”
She looked at Willis again. The bartender was literally dragging him out now. Once he was out of the door, the bartender slammed it in his face and began walking back towards the bar, muttering angrily under his breath.
“Don’t you believe magic exists?” She asked the man next to her.
“Do you?”
She smiled slyly. “I do in fact believe so.”
The man laughed at her and she just continued to smile.
The bartender suddenly noticed her and walked over.
She immediately sensed his suspicion towards her. “I’m sorry for the wait, what would you like miss?”
He smiled at her and she looked up at him. He immediately seemed to become captivated.
“Has anyone told you, you have the most bewitching eyes?” The bartender said smiling at her.
She smiled back. “I’ll have a glass of whiskey.”
The man next to her let out a low whistle. “That’s a little heavy for a small pretty thing like you.”
She turned towards him and grinned. “I think I can take it. Can you?”
He guffawed. “Is that a challenge?”
To answer his question, she yelled out to the bartender. “Excuse me sir, make that two shots and keep ‘em coming.” She turned towards the man again. “Loser pays.”
A few minutes later the first few rounds came and she easily tossed the drinks back. The second round and the third, fourth, and fifth rounds quickly came and passed. When the ninth round came, she was just beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol. Being a lone traveler who frequents taverns and bars allowed her a lot of practice with drinking games. The other guy began to look a little dizzy. There was a crowd around them now and people were cheering, but she still felt that bothersome presence in the corner. She pushed it to the back of her mind and focused on beating this guy. By the thirteenth round he looked like he was getting ready to pass out.
She was being sympathetic to do this to him while he was drunk, but she had fun. “Thanks for a good time.” She slurred. Then she grinned as she quickly pulled out the dagger she had concealed beneath her cloak and stabbed him in the gut. She watched as his face turned to horror and he fell to the floor clutching his side in shock. One man shouted in terror and they all began running in fear from her, a woman. How ironic. She turned back towards the bartender who was cowering against the wall. He was staring at her with absolute fear. “You’re the-the Demon …” he stuttered. She didn’t think he could move.
She smiled and grabbed the last drink and chugged it down. Then she flipped a gold coin at him. “Good day sir.”
The smile stayed on her face as she walked out of the bar with a drunken happiness. When she saw the crier, Willis, on the side of the road, she suddenly got the notion to ask where he had seen the witch and so she did.
“Where was she?” She asked. He looked afraid.
“Please don’t hurt me! She was i-i-in the field,” he pointed in the direction of the dirt road that led out of town. Then he ran.
She walked until she reached the field he spoke of and saw yellow daisies everywhere but no wilted flowers. She picked one up and smelled it, smiling as she held it in the air and spun around gleefully. She continued walking through the field, enjoying herself. Then she happened to look down at the ground and there she saw one wilted flower. She was just about to reach for it when she suddenly felt an intense bloodlust behind her. She immediately pulled out her sword and turned to block a dagger from piercing her heart.
The person was hooded and their face was shadowed. She had no idea who they were.
“What ill will do you bear against me?” She asked him.
He released his dagger and she let her sword fall to her side. She looked at him expectantly. Then he pulled off his hood and in front of her was a lovely dark blonde with hazel eyes and a structured face. His eyes looked familiar, but she couldn’t remember where she had seen them before.
“Do you remember me?” He asked seriously.
“Am I supposed to?” She asked.
His anger suddenly spiked as he grabbed her by the collar of the black cotton tunic she wore and held her up. He would never do this to any other woman, but for this one he would make an exception.
She was tempted to kill him, but she decided she was curious to know who he was. She let him aggressively pull her up to his face.
“You,” he said, breaking her train of thought. “You ruined me.” She didn’t know what was wrong with her, but she began to think he was somewhat attractive with all this accusatory stuff. Then she realized she was really inebriated and just needed to stop thinking. She still didn’t know what he was going on about.
“I’ve ruined many lives. You’re going to have to be more specific.”
His temper rose. “The day of your execution, you destroyed the life of a man by claiming he was your accomplice.”
She began to remember, but she decided to play dumb to make him angrier. She wanted to see how far he would go. “You’re ...wait, who are you again?” As predicted, he seemed to become even angrier, clenching his fists so tight that they were turning white. She laughed and patted him on his cheek. “I’m just kidding old chap, I remember you Liam. Are you enjoying your life now?” She grinned. “You look well.”
“I’m a miserable wretch because of you. Do you know what the queen did to me because of your false accusation?”
“No, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”
“She stripped me of my rank and title, threw me out, and told me that until I proved my loyalty to her, I was no longer welcome in Royal City.”
“Well shit,” She said sarcastically. “I didn’t think she was going to do that.”
“You little wench.” He sneered. She stared into his hazel eyes filled with hatred. “You took away everything that I’ve worked for all my life. My family has disowned me and my town has excommunicated me. I have no one because of you.”
“Am I supposed to care?”
He glowered and she looked at him, confused. “Are you going to attempt to kill me?” She asked him.
“I will kill you.” He said. She couldn’t help but grin.
Liam hadn’t expected her to be so…so lackadaisical. But then again, he should have known. He had run across her by chance just as he was leaving town. He thought it was strange seeing a random woman walking alone so he followed her into the bar and for some reason his instinct told him this woman was the Demon-Witch. He had watched her and something had seemed familiar. When she went to sit next to the man she murdered and pulled off her cloak, everything became clear. She looked different than before. She looked younger and healthier. Her appearance was nothing like the old witch he remembered. Her cheeks were full and colored. Her lips were a rosy pink. But she had the same eyes that held unadulterated amusement.
As Liam looked at her mocking smile, reality suddenly set in.
“Wipe that smile off your face witch.” He growled.
Her smile faded and she kicked him in his stomach, causing him to drop her. He was taken aback by her sudden seriousness. Then she grabbed him by the throat and pulled him close. Her grip was tight, but not tight enough for him to begin chocking. “Now look here you ungrateful man. I gave you freedom and I can just as easily take it away.”Her conversation with him had sobered her.
While she held him with one hand, she pulled out the small dagger she carried on her leg with the other hand and held it at his throat. He looked at it and then looked at her with disgust. She admired his audacity in the face of death.
She couldn’t help herself though. She started laughing and let him go. “Being serious is so hard. I don’t know how you’re doing it right now.”
He stood. Then his face contorted to a strange expression of confusion and anger. “What the hell is wrong with you? Are you mental?”
“Oh I am quite sane.” I said. “Are you?”
“Yes. I am.”
“Are you sure? To me, it looks like you’re insane. I mean you have to be to come after me.”
“Shut up.” Liam lunged towards her with his dagger and she simply pushed her arm away and directed his blow towards the ground. He regained his balance easily and came at her again. She felt the murderous intent surrounding him heighten even further. She didn’t falter. She readied to counter his attack without moving, but he quickly moved behind her, surprising her with speed she didn’t know he was capable of. Still she was able to dodge his attack by sensing his presence, a skill she had acquired over a long and arduous training when she was just a girl.
She swung her arm around and punched him in the face, causing him to fly backwards. That didn’t keep him down. He stood again.
“Are you done yet?” She asked him.
“Not even close.” He said as he dropped the dagger and pulled out the sword that was strapped to his side. He waited as if he expected her to pull out her own sword, but she didn’t think she needed it for him. He was decent, but not good enough.
Anger radiated from him. He thought she was underestimating him and she probably was, but she knew she would know in a few seconds because he was charging at her ready to slash across her torso. She was ready for him. Or at least she thought she was. As soon as he came close, he disappeared. She wondered where he was for one second and then she felt the wind change above her head a little too late.
In a split second decision, she chose the wrong one. She blocked his sword from slicing her down the middle with her hand which at his speed and force was not such a bright idea. She successfully blocked the attack, but the sword pierced the palms of her hands and she saw the grin on his face at the sight of her blood.
“Tch,” she looked at her damaged palms realizing these cuts would probably hurt for weeks. It was time to end this. She drew her sword and Liam seemed surprised. “I did underestimate how week you were.” She admitted.
“I would have thought you’d learned your lesson.”
She chuckled as she gripped her sword, ignoring the pain that seared through her hands. “If there was another lesson for me to learn in this lifetime, I don’t think it’s you who’s going to teach it to me.”
This time, she dashed towards him without wasting time. There was someplace she had to be and he was making her late. She slashed wildly at his torso, but he kept moving backwards to avoid her attacks. He was doing well until he fumbled over a rock her blade pierced into his skin, creating a deep cut across his stomach. He fell to the ground, holding his abdomen that was soaked with blood.
She stood like a shadow looming over him, smiling widely as she sheathed her sword. She was slightly disappointed. Liam could have done better especially if he didn’t fight with such a hindering emotion. Turning her back on him, she began to walk away.
“Come find me when you have a little more experience,” she told him.
Then she walked away, leaving Liam staring after her. She could feel his gaze burning a hole in her back. “Now that I found you, you won’t get away again. I will follow you to the end of the world.
She grinned darkly and waved at him before heading towards the forest.
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A/N: Please let me know what you think so far and thanks for reading! :)