Revelations, Part 2

Atrina was unaware of how much time passed before she heard the approaching hooves of a horse. The mount’s clopping was slow and steady at first, but the horse then broke into a sprint.

A voice most dear to the witch cried, “Atrinaaaaaa!”

After after everything the witch went through, she welcomed the approach of the woman she spurned.

Valerie jumped off her still galloping horse, landing on two feet. The paladin paused for a moment, genuinely amazed by her first untroubled dismount, before running to the witch.

Watching in anticipation as the paladin drew closer, Atrina became lost in all the things she wanted to tell Valerie. How should I start? With an apology? No, she deserves more than a plain “sorry”. The truth then? Argh, but I don’t want to flood her with my past. What should I tell her...what should I tell her...what should I tell her...

The paladin was an arm’s length away from Atrina who lay on the ground. Valerie began to crouch with her arms extended towards the witch, but the knight drew back at the sorceress’ silence.

Atrina inhaled sharply. She did not want to lose Valerie again.

“Valerie! Val…I—well listen—there’s...fuck!” The witch slammed her fist into the dirt, infuriated at her inability to say what she meant. As she punched the earth, Atrina felt something scrape against her collarbone.

The witch pulled her necklace out from under her collar, and she was devastated by what she saw. Snapped in two with the bottom half missing, the charm Atrina’s mother gave her was broken.

The truth rushed out of Atrina as she sobbed, “You...you hurt me so much when you took the stone from me. I thought I could trust you. I wanted to believe that I was more important to you than your loyalty to the Church!”

Valerie was dumbstruck by the witch’s confession, and Atrina continued crying. “But the part that hurt me the most...was the feeling that we’d never be together. I was so selfish to want you for myself when I couldn’t even tell you the truth…”

The sorceress shifted her tear-streaked face to the silent paladin and said, “No more secrets between us.”

-

Soreness spread throughout the witch’s body as she struggled to sit upright. Atrina patted the ground next to her, inviting the paladin to sit. Valerie accepted the peace offering gladly.

Atrina looked into Valerie’s golden eyes. The witch took a deep breath and revealed her past. “A long, long time ago, I used to live in a coven. Our home was in a beautiful glade far from any other civilization. The days of my childhood were filled with happiness and love, and I was so close to my mother. She and other kind sorceresses taught me everything I know about being a witch: our customs, our culture, our unique magic.

“They answered every question an impatient child with an insatiable curiosity could ask. They also told me to never wander into the woods. The given reason was that scary monsters lived in the shadows of the trees, and those creatures were responsible for the disappearance of my aunt and other witches. I believed that story for a while, but, as I got older, I began to see through its lie. I feared less, and I wanted to know more.

“I stayed up late one night reading a spell book, and I saw several witches walk into the forest. Out of curiosity, I followed them. We walked for a long time before coming to a shimmering wall. It was a powerful illusion, and the sorceresses took turns reinforcing it. That night, I found out that we were living in a cage. I was furious.

“I spoke with my mother about it the next morning. It’s not a day I like to remember because our conversation turned into an argument. I felt robbed of knowing what the world outside our coven was like, but my mother insisted that the illusion was created for our own safety. That morning, I learned that the monsters she told me about were real.

“She taught me about the existence of the Church and how they sent Holy Knights to capture or kill our people, depending on who resisted. I also learned about the word ‘heathens’ and how our people were referred to as such. I knew my mother told me all those things to discourage me from going outside, but I didn’t care. I wanted the Church to pay for abducting and murdering our people.

“Every night when the witches finished strengthening the illusory spell, I would sneak past the wall and hunt for knights. Only people from our coven could enter and leave freely, and I took advantage of that. The first time I laid my eyes on a Holy Knight camp, I thought there were so many of those damn paladins. To thin their numbers, I cast a poisoning spell on their supplies. At the time, I thought I was being clever and doing the right thing, but my hubris clouded my judgment.

“The knights’ forces grew larger and larger, and no matter how many fell to my magic, more came to replace them. My brilliant plan blew up in my face during my coming-of-age ceremony. I thought that was going to be the happiest day of my life, and I felt like I could scream when I finally received my pointed hat.

“Everything fell apart when Auntie Sheze ran to the ceremony grounds, screaming that Holy Knights were attacking the wall. I wanted to believe that the paladins found our coven by pure chance, but deep down I knew that it was my fault. Through the barrier, we fought back.

“That was the bloodiest day in our coven’s history. The knights did not break through, but they came dangerously close, and they managed to kill some of our own. Carnage lasted the entire day, and when the dust settled, we were surrounded by the bodies of over one thousand paladins. No knight left alive. I remember that the blood of our fallen enemies was blacker than ink in the moonlight.

The witch nearly dry heaved at the memory, but the urge passed. Valerie remained silent as Atrina revealed more. “Among the piles of bodies, my mother found the evidence of my guilt: a blood-soaked pouch with a crescent moon on it. The pouch was mine, and a dead knight held it in his hand. I must have dropped it on my way back from their camp.

“It took close to a week to dispose of the bodies. We were so afraid of retaliation. To this day, I am shocked that no one came for revenge. I wanted everything to go back to normal, but I would not get my wish. A few days after the last of the bodies were buried in the earth, my mother took me by the hand and told me to leave the coven.

The witch stared across the lake without blinking. “She told me that my soul was incomplete and in need of healing, a healing that I couldn’t find in the coven. My own mother told me that I was destructive. Her words shook me to my core, but the last thing she told me is something that I will never forget: she told me that if I did not find myself, I would be lost in the dark forever. The walls that once kept me safe in the coven now kept me out. I’ve wandered the land alone ever since.”

Valerie was on the verge of crying. “Atrina...I’m so sorry...I didn’t know.”

“Don’t apologize, Valerie. My exile was of my own doing, and I’ve been trying to make up for my horrid mistake all these years. Instead of helping my people with my powers, I nearly destroyed them with my arrogance. I...I just wanted you to know the truth, Valerie. I’m a monster.”

“No, no, Atrina…” The paladin threw her arms around the witch, holding Atrina in a tight embrace.

The sorceress burst into tears. “Valerie...I don’t deserve you!”

Valerie squeezed the witch tighter and cried, “Don’t you ever say that! The Atrina I know has saved so many people. The Atrina I’m friends with has never turned her back on those in need. The Atrina I love has a beautiful soul, filled with compassion and kindness.”

“My soul is hideous, Val. My mother knew it, and so do I.”

The paladin pulled back and peered into the witch’s eyes. “Your mother never said that. You’re the only saying that. You can’t keep hating yourself, Atrina.”

“...I don’t know if I can.”

Valerie got up to walk to her mare. The paladin grabbed something from the side of her mount and returned to witch. “I know you can.” The Holy Knight handed the witch back her pointed hat. “I think you dropped this.”

Slowly, the witch lifted the hat and returned it to its rightful place on her head. To Atrina, the act was an affirmation of who she was.

“Listening to your story, I realized something,” said Valerie.

“What’s that?”

“Your mother never said you couldn’t come home.”

Atrina grasped her mother’s charm tightly without saying a word.

“Do you want to go home?”

Spinning to the paladin, the witch shook her head. “I can’t. Not while Sylvina’s life is in danger.”

Valerie’s face darkened. “It’s too late. The Arcane Descendants took her.”

“What? When?” exclaimed Atrina.

“A couple days ago, during the Day of Expiation ceremony. The Divine Maidens and the High Priestess were in the capital square, ready to begin the ceremony, but cultists came down from the sky on Nightmares. Their leader shattered the city’s magic barrier, and they attacked everyone. So many people died. Oh, Lord, Erys...Luciano…and th-then, they just took Divine Maiden Sylvina.”

“Val, did anyone follow them? Does anyone know where they went?”

“No. The whole city was scrambling, and I left to find you.” The knight pulled a map from her thigh plate. “A storm passed through the region a day before the attack, and everyone thought it was a bad omen. I was so scared for you. This map helped me search the area around the storm’s path of destruction. I thank God that I found you.”

Atrina felt sickened by the tidings Valerie brought. Sylvina...I failed her...NO! The witch threw her head back towards the sky, anguished. Yet, in the clear blue sky above, the sorceress found hope, for she remembered something Khyrs told her.

“Val, did the new moon pass yet?”

“N-not yet. It’s tonight. Why?”

“We don’t have a moment to lose! We have to find Sylvina, now!”

“What d’ya mean? She’s still alive?”

“Yes! The master said something about a new moon. That must be when he plans to sacrifice her.”

“But how do we find her?”

“I don’t know, but if we—wait, what’s that?” The witch and the paladin stared at the ground. Inscribed in the silt, a crudely drawn map beckoned the duo.

Valerie gasped and unfolded her map. “Ohmigosh! That drawing! It’s exactly like this area on the map.”

Shaw, you clever bastard. The witch smiled to herself. “How far is it from here?”

“Hmmm, less than a day’s journey.”

“Let’s go! We have no time to waste.”

The two women jumped onto Valerie’s mare. With her arms around Atrina, Valerie brought the reins down and raced against time to save Sylvina.