Roses

“White! It’s been so long!” the Witch of the Red Rose said.

The Witch of the White Rose couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her cheery welcomer. White walked up to the approaching Red Witch, and when the two came together, they shared a big and warm-hearted hug. Red snuggled against White as if she were a long-lost puppy that had just returned to her.

“That tickles,” the White Witch said, shrinking into herself to protect herself.

“Moooore,” the Red Witch sang, and snuggled even harder.

The Succubus, who had returned to female form after they’d entered the clearing, watched on. She wanted to separate the Red Witch from her mistress, but she knew better. All the demon could do was endure in silence.

Finally, the Red Witch let go, although still looking like she hadn’t had enough. “I sensed a demon with you. I suppose this is her?” the Red Witch said, going to the Succubus and offering a greeting that the demon returned in kind. “It almost made me go on high alert if the messenger hadn’t said you were together. Why didn’t you mention it in your letter?”

“My apologies, Red,” the White Witch said, giving the other witch a weak smile. “I forgot.”

“Is that really something to forget about?” the Red Witch exclaimed, her blue eyes wide with absurdity.

The White Witch could do nothing but reply with an awkward laugh.

“Well, whatever. You came at just the right time. Please, come in,” Red said and led the way into the house.

Once inside the house, the enchanted ceiling windows brought down sunlight that had not been visible from outside the house. The smell of herbs and medicines filled the room.

On the tables, glass jars and bottles scattered the surface. Some were empty, some filled with herbs, and others were filled with potions of different colors.

Trays and bowls congregated on one side of the table. Sage, thyme, prunella, cinnamon, bergamot, and various other herbs and plants filled those containers. Some of them dried, and some were fresh.

Along one side of the wall behind the table was a cabinet filled with small drawers labeled with the names of medicinal plants.

The Red Witch knocked on a door in the back. A murmur could be heard inside, and the Red Witch opened the door.

In the bed room, all the curtains drew wide open, yet sunlight couldn’t penetrate the gloom stifling the air. In the corner, on a bed, rested a woman. She was elderly with a pale purple complexion from her sickness. She could barely open her eyes. When she saw the White Witch, she offered a weak but warm smile.

“Ah, White. You’ve come?” the woman said.

The White Rose froze in shock. The person on the bed was the Witch of the Blue Rose.

The Blue Witch was not elderly at all. In fact, she was the youngest of the Rose Witches, and was twenty-one this year.

White last saw her a year ago. She remembered Blue’s glowing wide smile, sparkling purple eyes, and beautiful black hair that gleamed like satin under the sun. Blue was a rare beauty not just because of her pretty face. Her joy and compassion deepened her beauty. She was a person who glowed and made others around her lovelier, thus earning the nickname Bluejoy.

The White Witch rushed to her bed. She wanted to touch Bluejoy, but wasn’t sure where to land her hand. A witch rarely got sick, but when they did, sometimes touching them could be fatal to both parties. “What happened? You were fine the last I saw you.”

The Blue Witch raised her hand weakly and grasped the White Witch’s hand. There was barely any strength in Bluejoy’s fingers that felt rough and dry like twigs.

“I found her at the edge of my forest,” the Red Witch said. “She was already sick, but not to this extent. It’s been a month, and her mana has been leaking out of her like an open tap. Nothing I did could stop it. In the end, the only solution I’ve found so far was to keep feeding her mana to keep her alive while I try other methods.”

Next to the bed were mana crystals that had been drained. There were piles of them, big and small. This many mana crystals were expensive enough to feed a small city.

“Remember what I said when I saw you a year ago?” the Blue Witch said, her voice weak but still coherent. “I wanted to travel to meet all the Rose Witches. Of course, I had to come to see Red because she was not only my mentor; she also the one who recommended me to the empty seat of the Witch of the Blue Rose.”

The Red Witch teared up and dabbed her handkerchief to her eyes. “It’s alright, let me tell her what happened. You can take it easy.”

The Blue Witch nodded her head softly and looked at her mentor with loving and grateful eyes that made the Red Witch tear up even more.

“Right before she came to me, she was at the Witch of the Yellow Rose. That was fortunate because Yellow gave Blue a protection amulet as a celebratory gift, and it was a really strong one, or else Blue would have died.

“Right before Blue arrived at my forest, she was ambushed. She couldn’t see her assailant. She blacked out right away. When she woke, her mana was almost completely gone, but the protection amulet kept the last of her mana from leaving her body, thus saving her.

“Blue somehow made it to my forest. I tried everything possible to slow the leaking or close the gaps, but nothing worked. Yesterday, the protection amulet from the Yellow Witch started to wane. It could break any day now, and I fear that when it does, Blue’s life will also be over.”

“Let me take a look,” the White Witch said.

The Blue Witch nodded her consent and closed her eyes.

“This will feel uncomfortable. I know having someone else’s mana inside you is not a pleasant feeling, but please bear with me,” the White Witch said.

She held both hands over Bluejoy’s body and poured a little bit of her mana into Blue. Her mana entered easily. The White Witch gently probed around, taking in any small details that were unusual, lingering on strange places, and carefully examining the gaps in the mana channels.

“Her mana channels are all fractured like someone took a knife through them on the inside,” the White Witch said, horrified at what she’d found. “It’s no wonder you couldn’t stop the leaking. Why didn’t you contact me sooner?”

The Red Witch looked flustered. “I didn’t know you could detect and diagnose that deeply. Can you fix her?”

White sighed. “I’m sorry, you’re right. You didn’t know. I rarely show anyone my abilities.”

she’d wanted to live a quiet life. She didn’t want to be used in battle again like when she was younger. Or like her mother and how they used her body even after she had died. She had enough blood on her hands already.

“Unfortunately, I cannot save her. Not like this,” the White Witch said.

A red sparrow entered the room and landed in Red’s hand.

White, wanting to be considerate to her host, asked, “Are you alright? Is there trouble in the forest? Your messenger has been coming in and out quite often,”

“There are three intruders in the forest. It seems like they know you. A mage, a fleur, and a paladin. Do you know them?” the Red Witch asked.

The Succubus said, “They don’t give up, do they?”

“Should I lure them into a trap?” Red asked.

“No, bring them here. The Mage is a scholar. He might know something we don’t,” the White Witch said.

While the trio made their way through the forest, now under the guidance of the Red Witch, the White Witch and the Succubus settled down in the room their host had prepared. Once again, the Succubus brought her bed over to combine with White’s bed.

“I’m sorry to have you do this,” White said.

“What do you mean, My Lady?” the Succubus asked, puzzled.

“You must want to sleep in your own room or have some privacy. I’m sorry that my condition has you sleeping next to me every night.”

The Succubus chuckled. “My lady, what kind of demon am I?”

“Huh? You’re a succubus, of course,” White said, then realization dawned on her.

“That’s right, I’m a succubus. I thrive on the warmth of a human’s body. Not only do I not mind this at all, I strongly prefer it. I would actually like to hug you even while you sleep, but that would be going too far, wouldn’t it?” the Succubus said, giving White a rue smile.

White blinked at the sudden new information. “Well, if you really want to, you can. It might be better for me as well.”

“Excuse me?” the Succubus asked, not believe what she’d just heard.

“You may hug me while we sleep. I might drool, though,” White said, averting her eyes from the Succubus in embarrassment of revealing her sleeping habit.

The Succubus smiled and took White’s hand in hers. “Oh, My Lady, it would be an honor,” she said, eyes beaming.